Sinking Into Slade
by Hybridbabe
Summary: On the darkened path towards his greatest enemy, Robin may become what he most fears... (Apprentice Based) COMPLETE!
1. 1: Obsession

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Disclaimer:** I don't own the Teen Titans, otherwise I would have put everything in my head down on paper, make a billion bucks, then buy my own island near Tahiti. Since this isn't the case, I give complete rights to the people who created the Teen Titans, and to Warner Brothers and all those good people who put it up on the WB and CN. 

**Author's Note:** This is my first ever Teen Titans fic, but not my first FIC. I always loved Batman and the whole entire Batman franchise, and as soon as I saw it, Teen Titans captured my heart. I was inducted into the TT fandom by watching the first Apprentice episode and let me tell you, I was absolutely astounded. I LOVED IT, so much so that I began having fan fiction ideas spinning through my head faster than you can say "Holy Batarangs Batman!" and the biggest, MOST HORRIBLE NAGGING in the back of my head to write these things down. Anyway, thanks do a certain someone who shall remain nameless (coughcoughcough**GHENE**coughcoughcough) I am now also a slight Slade/Robin Slash fan (thanks a lot..... lol) So there is some slight bits of that in here... or will be in later chapters lol! I am also loving the RobRae, RobStar, RaeBB, BBTerra, Cy/Jinx pairings, and there might be a few in here if I can add them... This is mainly a Robin story folks, one that I hope you'll like too, but don't hesitate to give me advice or constructive criticism, but no flames please!

Oh, also, the title of this story is "Sinking Into Slade". Me, being the "Dictionary with Smarts", had heard the name used as a noun before, and for those of you who don't realize it, the word 'slade' means "The bottom or lower part of anything, or that on which anything rests in standing.", or "the bottom of a valley" (thank you to for the def. lol). A great play on Slade I think lol! Anyway, on with the show (sorry if I bored you!) This fic takes place after Aftershock I and II, sometime months afterward......

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Obsession was always a relative term, one he didn't really associate with his current situation. He called it justice: thinking a step ahead of the game and capitalizing upon it, searching out the best possible way to defeat an enemy methodically, painstakingly, with cunning. The problem was Slade was always one step ahead of him, always. How can someone gain the upper hand when their enemy refused to relinquish it? 

Scribbling down the newest encounters with the masked man, Robin paced around his newspaper clippings, staring, going over the event again and again in his head, contemplating, his eyes narrowing behind his black mask. Things weren't making much sense to him lately, with this newer incident as puzzling to him as the ones before, maybe even more so. But was it because of the way Slade was carrying out his plans, or something much more than that? Maybe... it was something on his own mind that was making it harder...

He'd been fine in the beginning, before he heard the name Slade. A good leader, righteous, walking a straight and narrow line. Then he happened; mask glaring into him, through him, taunting him, always one step ahead, something that continually infuriated him to no end. The biggest disadvantage was to never see the opponent's face, never seeing what he was planning, where he was going, what his next move truly was. With him in the mix, the lines between hero and villain were beginning to blur. Was Slade taunting him or training him? What was his angle, what was his motive? What was his game, and why was Robin the only one who seemed like a worthy adversary, the only one to have a chance at keeping him in line?

Thoughts whirled around in his head as Robin read the newspaper article again, shaking his head in befuddlement. Lately, friends were enemies, foes were friends, even... aspects of himself seemed muddled, unrecognizable in the mirror; and he couldn't figure out exactly why. It was one of those times where you saw yourself, you see every aspect of what makes you the person that you are, but the reflection gazing back at you was a complete stranger.

Even now, Robin was afraid of what he had the potential to become, and maybe that's why his uneasiness distracted him. It wasn't a feeling he was comfortable with, although the aspect of fear was something familiar. As a younger kid, he'd been afraid of many things: the dark, monsters under the bed, heights. In a way, it seemed ironic now that he liked the night, the monsters he faced were actually real, and he could plunge off a building into the great beyond in the blink of an eye. But since his nightmares had become real or falsified by trial and error, others took their place. Now it wasn't the outside factors causing the intense cold in his heart, or a wariness he never had before in every move he made. No, he had no fear of anything in the outside world.

It was what was inside his own soul that scared him the most. Killer. Thief. A dark Robin waiting in the wings to unleash a joy of living above the law. He tasted that freedom once, and enjoyed it, something that still sickened his heart even now. Although blackmailed, the feeling of being Slade's apprentice didn't disappear; the feelings he had felt under Slade's guidance hadn't lifted as he tried hardto get rid of them. Thoughts were constantly disturbed, tearing down any semblance of sleep as the thoughts resurfaced over and over in his subconscious. He only had one wish clinging to his heroic nature, one thing he constantly reminded himself: he didn't want to end up like Terra. Alone, lost within, turning to the first open hand in submission while everything about the situation cried with misery and treachery, this was the way of the apprentice, and he knew exactly where it led to. He'd been down that path before. And his friends... they relied on him so much. If he could fall once again, after barely hanging on to the last shred of heroism the last time, could he do it again? Did he have that strength to face it all again?

Terra. An image of her appeared in his mind, and a flash of pain crossed his heart, not for himself, but for Beast Boy. Of all the Titans in the tower, Beast Boy had the most time, the strongest bond, to the traitor, a girl he had loved once and been betrayed by. Old wounds such as this cut the changeling deep, even now, months afterward. Robin couldn't help but be worried for his friend, if not just for his benefit, but also for her performance in situations such as the one they had last night. To put it mildly, Beast Boy just wasn't the same as he was after she had died, buried by her own gift, her own curse. His jokes weren't as funny, his sassy remarks not quite as biting as they used to be.

If Terra could do that to Beast Boy, what would a second betrayal do to him too?

A few flutters of the newspaper clippings taped up in his room stirred him, and he closed his eyes, expectant, "Yes, Starfire?"

The young Tamaranian's brilliant green eyes gazed at him form beyond his open door, and he could picture her blushing shyly, "I am sorry to disturb you, Friend Robin, but Cyborg has directed me to ask you your preference towards the midday meal." Childishly, she giggled, "Friend Beast Boy has offered to prepare a bowl of tofu to satisfy our appetites, however, Friend Cyborg replied that further nourishment--"

She droned on for a bit, something she tended to do from time to time when she was really, especially nervous about something. All he could do was smile a bit, amused, "Yeah, alright Starfire. I'll be in there and tell them myself."

Somehow, things had been weird between the two of them, whether it was due to Slade's reappearance and his intensifying obsession, or it was just something that had happened, he wasn't too sure. All he knew was what once was comfortable, harmless discussion became long awkward silences, something both of them weren't accustomed to, didn't exactly like too much.

The Boy Wonder breached the subject with her just then, after a moment or two of pause, "Starfire?"

"Yes, Friend Robin?"

Her innocence really struck him then, thinking again how rare it was to have such a characteristic in a person, "Is there something else you would like to tell me?"

She shook her head, noticing that he still wasn't facing her, "No, at least, I do not think I have anything of importance to tell. If I did, I would tell you."

"Star..." Glancing over his shoulder, he sighed heavily, "Look, I know that Slade has come back, and the rest of you guys think I'm going nuts again. But you guys just don't get it! Slade, he... when I was his apprentice, something... happened to me. I don't know what it was exactly, but he did something to me, something inside my head, and my thoughts... It's complicated. Until I understand what happened, until I bring him in, I know I have to bring him down at all costs. Mainly," he clenched a green gloved fist, "because I have to know."

Starfire looked at him, slightly disappointed, "I do not understand you, Friend Robin. You are Robin, and the only Robin I have ever known is you. However, as of late, there is something different about you. You are distant, and alone, and we cannot reach you most times. You act as if you are alone, making it seem as if you prefer it that way." Gaze looking away, she started walking out the door, "Your obsessions are your biggest faults, Friend Robin, and your behavior regarding Slade is very strange. I fear one day, you will know this too late, becoming something unlike yourself and realizing you cannot go back."

**I already do**, thought Robin, taking it upon himself to get back to work, studying the article in front of him yet again, **more than you will ever know Starfire... I already do...**

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**_Please Read and Review! Tell me how you liked it or what I could improve on!_**


	2. 2: Repression

**(NOTE:) All the chapter titles are going to reflect Robin's feelings towards Slade: total obsession. So, I'm basically using every word related to that! Just thought you'd like to know!**

Thanks to **Pink Hooligan** for the review! And for the favorite as well!

Thank you to** Rose Eclipse** as well! I have special plans for one of our favorite Boy Wonders (Silly me, I was going to say 'our favorite Boy Wonder', but that wouldn't be fair to Tim Drake, now would it? lol) and hopefully when this all unfolds, you'll see how everything pans out.... Don't worry, you'll like it! I promise!

**Demon-of-Judgement**, thank you very much for the review! I hope you like the next chapter!

**Kaliann,** I actually have red a bit of your Dark Robin fics. I like them very much, but I haven't gotten around to finishing the first one LOL! I will though, one of these days... Thanks for reviewing!

**Mistress Of Dragons**, thanks for catchin' my typos! I hope you like this next installment and I will check out your fics! I've got a list about a mile long of which ones I should read, so..... Eventually, I'll get to yours! And hey, Shameless self-promotion is absolutely fine! lol (COUGHCOUGHCOUGH**IHAVEFARSCAPE,KINGDOMHEARTSX-MENANDYUGIOHFANFICSTOO**COUGHCOUGH) lmao I'm so shameless sometimes!

Anyway, on with the show!

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"NO! TOFU!"

"STEAK, Green Boy! STEAK!"

"TOFU!"

"STEAK!"

"TOFU!"

"STEAK!!!!!!"

"Would you two knock it off," groaned Raven, rolling her eyes at her two teammates, "This is lunch, not the Last Supper." Perched on one stool, she murmured a chant under her breath, managing to levitate the second stool in the air, "If you don't, I might have to get angry."

"Heh, that's ok, Rave, honest!" replied Beast Boy sheepishly, putting his hands up and grinning wide, "The last time you got mad, we almost got our heads blown off!"

"Yeah, like Beast Boy said, that's alright Rave!" Cyborg, in a vintage white chef's hat complete with matching apron, wrapped an arm around the little green changeling, and ginned along with him, "We're all buddy buddy here! Besides," he nudged/whacked his bud in the head, "We all know what we're REALLY having today, right?"

"Yeah, TOFU!"

This wasn't going to end anytime soon... "No, we're having steak!"

"TOFU!"

"STEAK!"

"TOFU, TINHEAD!"

"STEAK, GREEN BOY!!!!!!"

"Here we go again," groaned Raven.

"TOFU!"

"STEAK!!"

It hadn't taken Cyborg long to whip up an appetite after the entire team had taken on a few of Slade's henchmen that afternoon, and the half-mechanoid was literally starving as soon as he walked in through the door. Of course, wanting meat was a problem for Beast Boy, (the sole vegetarian due to his shape-shifting abilities and being able to change into the very creatures that the rest of his teammates ate), and he immediately objected, screaming about tofu at the top of his lungs.

Raven was nursing a headache, one brought on by an accidental power build-up followed by promptly not discharging it, thanks to a shot from a droid's cannon disrrupting her chanting. The backlash was more severe this time because of a little bout of anger she had while fighting, and the boys' arguement was not helping how she was feeling right now; it took all of her strength not to give in to her darker impulses. The refrigerator shook and rattled, its body suspending in the air by dark magic while the corners clicked on the floor, "If you two don't stop fighting, I am going to get VERY ANGRY," she said with clenched teeth.

"Please, Friend Cyborg and Friend Beast Boy!" chimed in another teammate, Starfire's tinkling voice just annoying enough to increase the half-demon's migraine two-fold, "Cease your bickering at once! We are a team, not mortal enemies! We are able to compromise and negotiate, and thus, both parties shall be satisfied!"

Cyborg gazed over at her and blushed sheepishly, scratching his head, "Yeah, but Veggie Boy here won't let me even touch the stove! I ain't eatin' that tofu crap again, for the FOURTH TIME THIS WEEK!!"

"Dude, it's better than those steaks," shot back the changeling, morphing his body into a small gorilla and pinching at places around his stomach, "I mean, think of the pounds you'd gain..."

"QUIET!!!!!!!!" A second set of glowing red eyes blinked on Raven's face along with her first set changing to the same hue, and she promptly dropped the fridge with a gigantic crash, the doors springing open and whacking her two friends in the back of the head. Instantaneously, Raven blinked again, the second set of peepers gone while the originals turned back to violet. Blushing, she fiddled with the hood of her cloak and jumped off the stool, her feet barely touching the floor as she glided across it, "I'll be in my room..."

Wide-eyed, the remaining three Titans glanced at Raven's retreating form, and at the fridge, "Oh maaaaaaaaan," groaned Cyborg, surveying the damage, "She wrecked the fridge!!!! Now what are we supposed to eat? The food's gonna either spoil or get all nasty from the dust bunnies on the floor!"

Beast Boy scrunched his face up, wailing, "My tofu! How am I gonna eat my tofu now? I'm starvin'!!!!"

The Tamaranian sighed sadly, then proceeed to glare at them both, "If you both had deceased with your juvenile fighting, Friend Raven would not have dropped the box with ice onto the floor and broken it! Now we must find another."

"Star's right, there ain't no way I can fix this thing and get it back working again."

"I thought you were the guru of all things mechanical," teased Beast Boy, poking his friend in the stomach, "I mean, you're half toaster anyway."

"Who you callin' a toaster, Mr. 'I'm-My-Own-Zoo'?"

"STOP THIS! We have no time for more squabbling!" cried Starfire, "If Cyborg says he cannot fix the box with ice, then it is so. We must find a new one!"

This was going to be a long rest of the day...

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Gliding away from the scene she had caused, Raven passed by Robin's room, slightly surprised to see it was open. Normally she wouldn't have ventured to even satisfy her own curiosity about Robin, but these days, things weren't the same as they had been since Slade had come back, seemingly from the dead. For awhile now, she had noticed a change in her friend, much like the obsessive behavior he had the first times they met Slade, including when the Boy Wonder himself had turned his back on his friends in order to ensure their salvation. He was much like he was then, working around the clock with little to no sleep, nothing to eat or drink, hardly anyone to feel comfortable with and be at ease with, to have that sort of company with him as he worked...

He was much like Batman now, but too much like Slade as well.

She withdrew her hood and gazed into the semi-darkness, watching him pace around in circles near a table set up in the middle, newspaper clippings and a pair of scissors strewn haphazardly on the tabletop. Eyes closing, she whispered a chant under her breath, her usual, empowering chant, but with an alternate purpose. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she intoned, imparting her power not to use physically, but to comfort, to strengthen her friend in this time where he needed a clear mind. Even she could see that her friend's soul was troubled, even damaged to an extent because of Slade, and pain was something she could heal... It was a risk, but maybe, if she imparted some measure of calm, a part of her power of healing and a part of herself to Robin; even if it didn't work, she would rather have liked to thing that it had: it meant she had tried to help him, instead of watching him self-destruct himself over a villain who seemed as fixated on Robin as the Boy Wonder was on him.

Although she couldn't let herself express it, the half-demon was worried about Robin, in the only way she could ever worry about him. Everything he was doing now, from distancing himself from his friends to going over Slade's last heists over and over again, all of it was true to his obsessive nature. Although it was an admirable trait, his diligence often was insanity spun to a specific purpose, obsession the key to his every thought and movement. Raven didn't like it, not one bit, but she knew better than to comment about it to him to his face: he'd most likely deny it anyway, become defensive, and what little they saw of him now would become smaller still.

The subject was not to be breached, not yet anyway. She just hoped that when she did so, it wouldn't be too late.

"Was there something you were going to ask me too, Raven?" Robin surprised her, and she found herself again deeply amazed and awed at how developed his senses were to be able to feel her presence near his room.

"May I come in?"

"Sure. Just don't step on the newspaper clippings on the floor, and you'll be fine."

Levitating on air, her slim figure passed through the portal entrance into "Robin's Lair", cape waving behind her, where she came to a stop, mid-flight, next to Robin, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

He sighed, and rubbed his eyes behind his mask with a green gloved hand, "Nah, not yet you're not. I could stop doing this at any time to talk, any time at all..."

"Then why don't you? Stop this, I mean. It seems to me the more you're reminded of your purpose to the team, the less we ever see you."

"Maybe so, but I'm doing all this for the benefit of the team. You know that, Raven. Slade's my responsibility, and I need to take him down, once and for all."

"Robin, you should spend less time amongst your Slade stories and more time with the rest of us," she insisted, "Without you, Beast Boy and Cyborg are going to blow the Tower up to smithereens, and Star will get all weepy like she's prone to do when she's lonely." A sudden, uneasy feeling of embarrassment overcame her, and she blushed, "Not to mention that I wouldn't have anyone to refer to on anything regarding anything."

Robin glanced at her, taking notice of how hot pink her cheeks looked against her grayish skin and grinning because of it, "What, you wouldn't happen to like me or something, would you?"

Truth be told, she didn't know what to feel about him, if she allowed herself to feel anything at all, "I am not able to express my emotions, Robin."

"'Because' is not an answer," he stated flatly, before grasping a pair of scissors and resumed to cutting out an article from the newspaper in front of him, "but then again, maybe you're right. My question is, if you can't express your feelings, why would you be so worried about me?"

"Always the detective I see," she responded, grasping his cutting head and loosening his fingers until he finally relinquished the tool, "Then maybe you can answer me when I ask a question: what does one do when their best friend is infatuated with a madman who is just as equally infatuated with him?"

The Boy Wonder paused and shook his head, his shoulders suddenly shaking as he slammed a fist on the table in sudden fury, "I don't KNOW!" His anger surprised him as much as it did Raven; as quickly as it started, it stopped again, his composure regained but not his dignity, "I'm... I'm sorry Raven. I don't know what came over me..."

Obviously his obsessions were still in place, but something else in his tone of voice bugged her, "You're afraid of him, aren't you?"

"I can't be afraid of him. I'm NOT afraid of him."

"I think you are. Either you are afraid of Slade, or you are afraid of something within yourself that you cannot comprehend. Some advice for you, Robin: some enemies have no names, and no explanations to why they haunt us the way they do. The best we can do is to face them in the best way we know how, and never be afraid to face them alone, or ask for help when we cannot face them alone."

A small smile crept up his face, whether it was in sarcasm or whimsy, she didn't know, "Yeah, you'd have first hand at knowing how to face down your demons, don't you, Raven?"

Slightly insulted, her voice grew colder, "Trigon has haunted my life since the microsecond I was born. At least I had the strength and the courage to face him as I did, even with the help of Beast Boy and Cyborg. Thanks to them, I was able to banish my evil side from my mind, if only for a little while. She is enchained and restrained, thanks to them, but what about you? Do you have the courage to face your demons? Or are you still going to be the little boy you know you were, curled up and shivering in your big boy bed, afraid to fall asleep because you were afraid of the dark?" She smirked, knowing she'd trumped him, "Are you still afraid of the dark Robin? Or is it the monsters within it that haunt your dreams and cause your nightmares?"

"I think I want you to leave," he replied to her, turning back to his work without another word.

"Rest assured Robin, judgment is not just for the wicked. All are subject to its will, not just those that wish it to express itself on a daily basis by their actions." Her fingers flipped her hood up again while her feet touched the floor, now not caring about his precious clippings and sprawled, cut-up newspapers. Not exactly fuming, but not exactly peaceful either, she strode right out the door and used her power to shut it tightly behind her exit.** Let him ponder the ways of his foes**, she thought, rubbing her temples as her migraine managed to pulsate for the first time since she left the kitchen, finding the wrong time to make itself known yet again, **Leave him to his fixations**. In spite of herself though, she frowned worriedly, recalling the last time the Boy Wonder had been so aloof, **he'd been as close to being Slade's apprentice as ever...**

Frustration enveloped her, her thoughts more emotional than she would have liked, and that was more dangerous to her and ot everyone else right now than anything else. Her footsteps carried her towards her room and to her haven beyond the door, "I must mediate... Things right now are too chaotic..."

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Well this installment was slightly longer... I'm still just fleshing things out here...

Yes, equally intense and equally mixed emotions between Starfire and Robin, as well as Raven and Robin. I think though, the Raven/Robin pairing is a bit more interesting, in the fact that they're a bit more fun to play around with. I always thought if there was such a relationship between the two of them, it would be similar to a love/hate relationship. They care about each other, but there's specific things about each other (Robin's obsession, Raven's passive attitude, etc.) that creates so much friction, it forces them apart. At times, they love each other's company, and at others they don't even want to see each other. That's always how I interpreted it.

I have always seen Raven as two things: one, as someone who represses her emotions (heck, she HAS TO in order to maintain control over herself) and this causes her to see emotions a bit more clearly in other people. I think that because she represses her own so much, she's more observant of any sort of emotion in someone else, sort of how when someone is blind, they're more in tune with how people perceive things, how others view situations. Because she can't afford to have them, Raven's more susceptible to picking them up in other people, most likely, even without her empathy powers, because she's barred herself from experiencing them. The second part to Raven is her sort of pessimistic-realist outlook, similar to Robin's optimistic-realist outlook. While Robin tries to see the best in people, such as he did in the episodes with Terra as Slade's apprentice, Raven immediately didn't trust Terra, and never gave her a second chance. BOTH of them pick up on a few details here and there about Terra, which leads them to get suspicious of her, and that leads into their realist nature. Both of them have seen what their actions could cause, and how much damage they could do to themselves, to other people, to the ones they love, etc., and they're more "hardcore, always recognizes the consequences of their actions" than any of the other Titans. They're a bit more mature in that aspect.

I think I made Raven a bit more tougher, a bit more colder in this fic than in the series, but who knows? I always pictured Raven to be tougher, more capable to handle things. Obviously, with Robin's obsessions and her somewhat mixed feelings about him, she gets annoyed over how he reacts to everything, and how he still, STILL, denies he has a problem. Very Batman-ish of him, if you ask me... (The names 'Batman' and 'Joker' sort of set off bells for me on that sort of subject...) And of course, we can't be too gothic here, can we? I'm sorry, I couldn't resist starting off with funny bits in this chapter... the Tofu vs. Steak idea just sort of popped into my head... it was too good to pass up lmao! And plus, Raven gets to use her powers and break a fridge. HOW COOL IS THAT!??

Anyway, I've got to be off and write some more. Hope you guys liked the chapter! I'll try and put up a weekly, if not every so often, about every 3-4 days, update. I am really starting to get into this, and it's a nice change from my Farscape fan fictions, or my Kingdom Hearts one, or my X-Men one... my other ones... yeah.... Ciao for now!


	3. 3: Fascination

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A/N:** Thanks to **Mistress of Dragons!** Yeah, I hope you like all the fics I've got up there.... Although I should go over them and reedit them..... they have more errors in it than Swiss cheese has holes lol (not BIG, BIG ONES, but still....) And YES! You're a Scaper! grins like an idiot we are irreversibly contaminated and lovin' it! SCAPE THE PLANET!!!!!!! Lol

**Maroonedpirate1**, I'm sorry I didn't update for awhile. With school and things of that nature...... it's been hectic. VERY, VERY HECTIC and last week was horrible for writing for me: I was way too busy to even think. But hey, I updated today!

**KaliAnn,** will do. I'll read every bit of yours and enjoy it! LOL

**Rose Eclipse**, I agree! I always viewed the TT Robin as Dick Grayson (which in my mind, he effectively is due to the fact that his future alter ego is Nightwing) and because of him being raised, basically, by Batman/Bruce Wayne, he'd be more like him than anything else (In the comics, Richard since I don't call him Dick actually does take the mantle of the Bat when Bruce's back was broken by Bane.) Dick is a hero in his own right, and although he's still a kid in TT, you can see where Batman's influence on him has surfaced. And Robin's not exactly depressed (granted, he can't really go forward in life if he hangs onto obsessions, which is sort of depressing....); he's just... obsessive-compulsive; yeah, that sounds about right. Because he can't get over Slade, he can never move forward in his life, so it's like he's stuck in pause and repeat, while everyone else is on play. Raven's more attuned to emotions since she can't feel them herself, so it seems right when the least emotional person (expressively speaking) would point out the over emotional (obsessive) behavior of someone else. Raven can see what Slade does to Robin, well aware that their fearless leader is self-destructing, so she takes it upon herself to do something about it. It's kinda sweet if you ask me.

Anyway, thanks you guys for the reviews. You all definitely give me the warm fuzzies when I need it most lol! Now, ON TO THE FICTION, one from a very... different point of view. Hope you like it!

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Silence. Not even the sound of his breathing was heard in the vast steel mill that doubled as a hidden hideout for the one called Slade, the owner staring at the monitors along the back wall. His visible eye blinked, as well as the other one behind his mask, and he watched, with fascination, the events unfolding before his eyes at the Titans Tower.

His second biggest secret that he never told Robin: he kept a constant watch of the Titans, right in their own home. Hacking into the Titans' surveillance cameras in the beginning was relatively easy, thanks to his own acquaintance with computers and the cyber world. Even with the system updates Cyborg had installed, he made sure there was always a back door, one slight little flaw in the system which granted him access to what he wanted most. It was so easy to hack in, in fact, he was almost disappointed. Wouldn't the ward of the legendary Batman be a bit better prepared for someone to hack into the Titans Tower mainframe? Or even his half-mechanical companion?

Unfortunately for the villain, what Robin lacked in thinking clearly constantly, he made up with in agility, strength and cunning. Robin was good at what he was: a true crime fighter and master detective. Most villains, save him, never came up to the par of the young boy, and many more had tried and failed. He was a double-edged sword, however, walking the fine line between the black and the white, something Slade had seen early on. He was a mystery, layered in many years and many sides, many of which, even Slade had yet to unravel. Robin was the classic hero, justifying violence in the name of honor, courage and justice itself, but if there were two things Robin wasn't, they would be simply this: Robin was not trusting, and he wasn't the white to Slade's black. There were so many things that he had yet to comprehend, so many things he had yet to be taught of, and to learn from. There still were many things he had yet to understand. Yes, he was never white.

He was gray, so very, very gray.

The term hero is relative, as with villain. Villains were heroes in their own right, with their own agendas and their own version of justice. Didn't the boy realize that yet? What gives the hero the right to use violence to solve matters, and villains could not? Good people use bad measures, and some bad people use good measures. What was the difference between the two? How can Robin deny the part of him that is Slade? And the part of Slade that is Robin, as well?

Robin was Slade, in all the ways that it mattered. As much as he hated to admit it, Robin was the mirror of him, which had been the first thing that drew him to the young boy in the first place. It was Slade's face that haunted dreams, Slade's voice that stirred up the nightmares, torturing him, with one specific purpose. The Boy Wonder lived and breathed Slade, isolating himself from his friends long enough for Slade to wait, and spring his trap.

It worked the first time: Robin, for a short while, was his apprentice. Now, Slade wanted him back, if only to have that sort of untapped potential to his advantage once again. Robin was good, but he could be great. He could be better. Slade was offering that to him, whether the boy liked it or not.

However, despite his logic of Robin's situation, the mirror was always two sided: there was evil in Robin, and good in Slade; the only thing separating them was one knew and welcomed what was within him, and the other had not. He'd already embraced the part of him which reflected the Boy Wonder, and by understanding Robin, Slade understood himself better, finding a type of harmony akin to a marriage: acceptance, but not dominance. Slade was of his own choosing, and the good in him accepted that, even when it knew it couldn't change him into anything else.

Robin had yet to master this. Instead of comprehending the question, he delved deeper into it, complicating a simple problem. Days were spent, pouring over newspaper clippings and cryptic clues, each one more baffling than the next, even for the partner of the greatest detective in history. He literally created problems for himself, and for his teammates, just by the little hobby he had of discovering Slade's identity. In fact, that was one of the reasons why Slade never showed his face: he knew Robin would obsess, and he knew, eventually, he would become isolated, alone, away from all friends and family until his own fixation consumed him. Obsession led to revelation, and further along, to a revelation. Then, the final phase, capitulation, and Robin would fall, his wings clipped and broken.

His friends, they were the key. Technically family too, but the arch-nemesis was never stupid. Although he, Slade, was formidable, Batman was daunting. No, that was one road he wouldn't dare tread yet, although, worst case scenario, completely available. But Robin's friends, the alien Koriand'r, or Starfire as she was called; Garfield Logan, otherwise known as Beast Boy; the mysterious half-demon Raven; and Victor Stone, the half-metallic Cyborg; all of them, Slade could use to his advantage, now, just as he haf before. Ensuring his apprentice to stay at his side had worked once with blackmail, but it wouldn't work again; alternative methods were needed to fulfill his desires. Now, he had those means, and once his friends were taken care of, Robin would have no choice but to confront Slade himself, alone. Then, after all was said and done, The mighty would fall, and Robin would be his.

Robin was the perfect apprentice, ripe for the picking if the masked man had any say in the matter.

The boy knew nothing of himself, but sooner than he thought, he would.

Watching Robin milling over newspaper clippings after his encounter with Raven, Slade stayed silent, just watching the frustration play across the young man's face. He remembered everything between him and his former apprentice, and yes, the relationship was complicated to the highest degree, but was it his fault it was so? What else could he do than to complicate it more, all for the sake of truth? After all, he was doing this for Robin's benefit. If he didn't understand himself, how could the Boy Wonder expect to be at peace with himself?

A middle-aged man in a white lab coat stumbled in haphazardly, escorted by two of the masked man's drones before he collapsed on the floor, too tired to move beyond that. His blue eyes behind his tortoise shell glasses were cloudy and dilated, his eyes locked straight ahead for a few seconds before his head moved, not even aware of where he was.

"Dismissed," replied Slade crisply to the drones, who both promptly left before they suffered the wrath of their master. He never turned around when he addressed the other man in the room, his masked face giving nothing away, "Are the prototypes prepared for testing?"

His captive wearily shook his head, "Slade... Slade I am working as fast as I can... the finished products are far from being done..."

A minor setback, which was all this really was... "Is even one of them completed? Of the four?"

"Yes.... two of the four... Project's Y Gamma and I Gamma."

"What of Projects X and H?"

The doctor sighed, "Still not ready. At best, I have... hours worth of work."

Slade dipped his head low towards his chin, before he turned around. Quick as anything, his gloved fingers were curled around the man's throat, where he promptly lifted him into the air with surprising ease, "Then get them done immediately. The targets should not be kept waiting. I am a patient man, Doctor Simms, but even the legendary Batman loses his temper from time to time. My patience wears thin."

Simms nodded with vigor, summoned from some sort of reserve he had within himself as the fear he felt made his eyes grow wider, "Y-Yes, Sir." His answer was appropriate enough, it seemed, for the next thing he knew, he landed in a jumble on the floor, hoping nothing was broken.

The villain turned back to his monitor and pushes a button, the screens on the wall all flickering to Robin's lair in the Titans Tower. The Boy Wonder was still there, slaving away at the mounds of Slade articles he had collected over the course of several months, his jaw set tight and his hands moving furiously as he wrote. "Soon Robin," Slade said, "Soon. Soon, you'll wish you had seen it my way the first time. You have a lot to learn still, and I could still teach you. There's still time. By the end of tomorrow, we shall have all the time imaginable."

* * *

**Most of this stuff is basically Slade thinking of Robin, which prompts me to ask the question: is Slade as obsessed with Robin as Robin is obsessed with Slade? Hmmm..... this sets the creative wheels a spinnin'....**

**BTW, I will give anyone a computer cookie if they can guess which two targets are going to be targeted first lol!**

**PLEASE READ & REVIEW!!!!!**


	4. 4: Preoccupation

**A/N: **

**Memorysofawhiterose**- Heheheh thanks! You gave me some very warm fuzzies when you reviewed! Glad you love it: there's more on the way, and I promise, when everything unfolds, you'll love it even more!

**maroonedpirate11**- LOL I am NOT MEAN! I'm sorry it took so long to update!!!!! But hey, here I am, on the SAME DAY I POSTED CH. 3, writing again. Yeah, this won't be posted for awhile, but hey, what can ya do?

**Rose Eclipse**- ROFL, I am making you mad with anticipation? Well maybe this chapter will relieve you a bit lol! And thank you very, very much for the review!!! You're off on the targets though; I want to stick with the Titans, but which one is targeted first? The answer would surprise you!

**KaliAnn**- ROFL, it's EVIL and Good at the same time?!?!?! How can that be?!?!? LOL! I will check out Phoenix Flames, don't worry. When I find the time, I'll read it, ok? thanks for the review!

**Pink hooligan**- but it's NOT Rob/Rae!!!!!! It's just setting it up to where people THINK its Rob/Rae when in fact, it's Star/Rob......./Rae? LMAO I have NEVER done a love triangle like this before, so setting it up is an entirely new and different thing for me. Don't worry though; I never planned this to be Rob/Rae, but then again, I didn't plan on it being a Rob/Star one either. It's just..... the Teen Titans, and how they deal with Robin being obsessed with Slade, that's all. I'm just trying to show the way the characters might feel towards one another, and besides, for a cartoon..... Rob's kinda hott lmao!

Anyway, to clear up a few things that are running through my head: **A)** the last chapter was called Fascination not for Robin's obsession this time, but Slade's. **B)** Yes, I think Slade is obsessed with Robin to the billionth degree. **C)** Nobody guessed the targets and their order, so that little 'challenge' is still in play (mainly, because even I HAVE **NO IDEA** which one of the two I picked will be first..... I'm tempted to even switch the order, making the one I wanted last, first, via a speed up on Project H... As time goes on, I'm more and more tempted to do that, due to some fictions based on the relationships of a certain TT couple.... Oh yeah, and **D)** I like reviews, especially lengthy ones, so feel free to do that LOL (I also take constructive criticism as well).

With all that said, time for more Teen Titan Action! **TITANS, GO! (i always WANTED to say that! ROFL!)**

* * *

With her friends with her and in desperate need of a new refrigerator, Starfire floated above their heads as Beast Boy and Cyborg strolled through the huge appliance store, looking at new and used fridges where they stood. "OH! What of this box of ice?" replied the young Tamaranian, her slender fingers pointing towards a white and black one, half the hinges rusty and barely held together.

"No, no, that thing looks like my dad's '84 Monte Carlo," replied the half-mechanoid.

"Dude, your dad has a Monte Carlo? SWEET!" exulted the green one, his emerald eyes gleaming along with a toothy smile, "You think we could ride in it? Dude, we could SERIOUSLY pick up chicks just riding into town!!!!" Morphing into a monkey, he chattered incoherently for awhile, jumping up and down with excitement before he changed back, "We could totally rule the open road!!!"

"Yeah, if you don't mind the rusting, holes in the trunk, and the missing passenger doors."

"We shall know our new box of ice as we shall see it, correct?" asked Starfire, looking around in circles at the large shelves, "With so many here, I am afraid to ask how we shall choose it from the others."

Cyborg looked up at her and winked, "Don't sweat it, Star. We're gonna find one, don't worry."

"HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL," squawked their friend, hearts for eyes at the sight a few aisles down, "THERE! THERE! RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE, RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!!" Skidding after it, he made a beeline for a silver metallic fridge, one of those industrial, chef and restaurant styles that could swallow him whole, and immediately hugged the thing with both his arms and both his legs. Wrapped around it, he started kissing it, declaring, "PERFECT! THIS IS PERFECT! I COULD FIT A MONTH'S SUPPLY OF TOFU IN IT WITH ROOM TO SPARE!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!"

"You gotta be kidding me....." groaned Cyborg, "Although that IS a nice fridge..."

"OH YES! The box of ice is a nice specimen of refrigeration!"

"Just one question Starfire..."

Whirling around from her flight towards the changeling, she looked back at her other friend and cocked her head to one side, curious, "Yes? What is your interrogative?"

"Just how are we going to pay for this thing? As I recall, Robin handled all the funding..."

Instantly, Beast Boy began to cry Niagara Falls, "YOU MEAN WE CAN'T HAVE IT!??!?!?! DUDE, that sucks!!!!!!!!"

A tinkling laugh echoed through the warehouse, "It appears that Friend Beast Boy has fallen in adoration with the box of ice! And to answer your interrogative, Friend Cyborg, I think I have something in my pocket..." she fished around haphazardly, until a broad smile encompassed her face, a plastic card between her index and middle fingers, "Robin instructed me to use this little plastic card of banking for emergencies only, but I suppose refrigeration is a dire emergency. We must have a place where we may store leftovers and such wonderful beverages such as mustard and ketchup!"

"SWEET! Star's got the debt card! You're the best EVER!!!!!"

"This is gonna be a looooong night..." groaned Cyborg, slapping his forehead with a giant hand, "And to think, Robin and Raven missed this..."

* * *

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.... Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...." chanted Raven on top of the Titans Tower, calming her emotions and trying to clear her thoughts, "Clear all thoughts, cast off all doubts. Stop. Meditate. Pray." Finding her quarters weren't exactly settling for the first time in weeks, the half demon had made her way onto the roof, the afternoon sun shining down upon her like a warming embrace. She chanted soothingly as her mind quieted, allowing herself to bend her perspective in the way she willed. In one hand, she held her mirror, the ghastly portal into another world entirely, one she was most familiar with, but no less unsettling. Bringing it up to her face, she gazed within it, focusing her powers with a final chant, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..."

She could have sworn, as she always did, of her eyes being open after she gazed, but every time, it was the opposite; her eyes were always closed entering. She took the time to see, her violet eyes staring around inside the corners of her mind. As usual, it was dark, pitch black almost, except for a few, dreamt up stars dotting the sky. Standing on a large chunk of what seemed like an asteroid, she momentarily blinked her eyes, feeling her power calling her, feeling her other sides coming to her aid...

"You rang?" sang out a chipper voice to her left, Happy Raven giggling in delight in her pink cloak, "You know we're always here to help you out Raven."

"Indubitably," added another wiser, more mature voice to her right, Wisdom and Wise Raven clasping a book and adjusting her bifocals, "Everyone that is, except for Anger."

"She scares me. She scares everybody, and I wish we didn't have to spend our existence with her." A gray cloaked, Sad Raven peeked out from behind the yellow-cloaked Wisdom, her little hands grasping tight, "She shouldn't be here anyway. That part is Trigon, and Trigon spells trouble."

Suddenly, a dark green robe whirled onto the scene, "Aw, let me at the old man. I could kick his sorry butt from here to the Netherworld! Hi-yah!" Practicing a few martial arts punches, Courage put on an impressive display, "He'll be dreading the day he comes across Courage! HA!"

"I hate to disappoint you, Courage, but I didn't come here so you could fight my father through me," said Raven, "I actually came for help, from Wisdom." Facing down her emotional double, the young half demon placed her hood behind her, letting it rest over her shoulders before she spoke again, "I am concerned for Robin. I... fear for him, and what his future may hold if he continues to follow this relentless folly of his against Slade."

Surprised, Wisdom didn't know how to react at first, but quickly collected herself, wiping the spectacles on her cloak, "Do you have... feelings, for Robin?"

She shrugged, neither admitting it nor denying it, "Yes... no... I don't know. I'm not allowed to express emotion, so it's hard to say."

"So you say," spoke up a mauve cloak, and Love made its way into the ring, "But I see things in a different light. You know what's in your heart Raven, even if you have no means to express it in its entirety. Only you know for certain what you feel."

"And you, respectively."

"She protects you from being alone," piped up Sadness, "but that doesn't mean that she'd protect you from who you're with. Robin could hurt you, and he's hurt so many people already. I'm sorry, but it's true. He was Slade's apprentice once, and you remember how that felt?"

For once, she was thankful for this realm: she could let all her bridled emotions run free, with no worry about harming innocents. Her voice grew in strength, on the border of frustration and fierce conviction, "Yes, I remember; but Sadness, he's not like that all the time!!!!! And he did it because he loved me... loved us. He cares for us as if we were his family, and I would stake my life on the fact of the matter: he won't be stupid enough to do it again."

"You are his anchor to reality," replied Wisdom softly, "but I fear that once that is gone, he would fall to whoever claims him, be it Batman, or Slade. You and the others are the only family he has in Jump City, and I hope my fears are just paranoid caution."

"Even I can't come up with anything cheery to say about it! And look at me! I'm the happy one!"

Sadness looked over at Happy and shivered, "You're too happy. It makes me depressed because I could never be that happy."

"Forget Happy, Sadness," groaned Raven, slightly annoyed with her smaller, whiny emotional self, "You were meant to be sad for the remainder of your days."

Love shook her head, and bent down next to the gray cloaked Raven, enclosing it in a hug as the child-like persona broke down and cried, "There, there, she didn't mean it like that, Sadness."

"Don't be so m-m-mean to me! It's not my fault Robin doesn't trust you, and he could hurt you more if he wanted to," replied the little Raven, sniffling and blowing her nose on her cloak, "He doesn't trust any of you, not completely. It makes me sad; he has such little trust, even now."

"He still wears a mask, and you never see his face," murmured Wisdom, thinking to herself, "It almost makes me believe he has something to hide."

"What did he say once?" asked Courage, living up to her name and broaching a testy subject, "To better know your opponent's moves, you have to leave everything out but the eyes. The eyes are the key. You see their eyes, you can see where they go, when they go, and why they go there in the first place. Isn't that so, Raven?"

Thinking for a second, Raven pondered this idea. Leave it to... well, herself, to put a finger on one of the things that bothered her about Robin. He wore that mask like a second skin, day in, day out. He even slept and showered with it on, never for once second to let it slip, let the world see him for who he was behind it. The very act of him doing it infuriated her, because if he wore a mask, she never knew if she could totally, one hundred percent, trust him. The thought was intensified months ago, when he had betrayed them to save them from Slade. Although his intentions were noble, he didn't think for a second about what the others would think, and he should have. Consideration would have been nice; would have been nice there, and also when he posed as Red-X weeks before that. Robin was secretive, dangerous, and difficult. People who wore masks usually had something to hide. What was Robin's excuse?

Now that she was thinking about it, she never knew what Robin's real name was either. Everyone knew hers, and Starfire's as well. Beast Boy had just recently told her what his was, and everyone knew Cyborg's the moment his grandmother had called, wondering if he was getting enough green beans. But the Boy Wonder's was something else entirely; what did they really know about him, and about his past? Besides being Batman's sidekick for awhile, the other Titans knew next to nothing else.

Wisdom picked up on her thoughts, "Yes, you do see the presumptions and possible outcomes to the question, don't you Raven?"

"Robin's secrets were not the reason why I came here," she spoke, trying to regain the calm she had had earlier, "I came because of something related."

"The feelings," replied Happy, "Uh HUH, we've been up to date with those!"

"I just keep getting this feeling that something is going to go wrong. Something ominous is just appearing at the event horizon, just waiting for something..."

"...or someone," finished Courage, going through a series of fighting stances, "Eh, let them come. We'll be ready."

"No, it's not us, exactly. It's Robin. I've been having this feeling that something will happen to Robin, something that even I can't guess at. I have a feeling that it has to do with Slade, but I'm not sure."

"Is it premonition, precognition or a sixth sense?" asked Wisdom.

"Neither of them, all of them... I just feel... like something is going to happen, something very, very bad. I'm not even sure if we can stop it. It could already be upon us for all I know."

"Keep your eyes out for whatever it is, and remember: we are always here for you."

"Catch you later, Raven!" sang the pink cloaked figure, fading off into nothing as she spoke, "See you around next time!"

"Yes, it is about time we went. I hope we were of some help." Fading, Wisdom smiled sadly, "Let us know what you figure out."

Raven of Azarath nodded, slipping the hood back over her face, "I will do as you ask. Thank you for your time."

"Don't thank me," whispered her more knowledgeable double, as the rest of the Raven emotions began disappearing, "Sometimes it's nice to clear your thoughts by speaking them, even if you are the only one able to hear."

Her eyes flung open when she noticed she was back amongst the real world, looking down upon the rocky cliffs that surrounded the Titans' Tower on one side. Sighing, she adjusted her cross-legged position to where she could lie down, staring at the clouds above her while her thoughts replayed her conversation with her other sides. It was true, Robin had caused her quite a bit of pain, but she never considered it to be due to something more dire; what he did, if anything, to betray them, was to save them, for their own benefit.

Then again, the simple fact that she was worried about him was unsettling as well. Did this mean she was actually feeling something different, something more, for the black-haired leader of the Titans? What was it she was feeling, this dark presence which deeply troubled her soul, something involving Robin to some extent?

She feared it was Slade, for it was only the masked villain who could break the Boy Wonder, if given half the chance. Only Slade could have the means of rupturing the fragile and unsteady life all the Teen Titans had after the first time Robin betrayed them. Although the first time, his intentions were noble, and she gave credit where credit was due, but the way he went about carrying them out... that was not.

Just to save them, he had become what he most feared. Was it possible that Slade could do it again?

Although she didn't think it was likely, she knew better than to say it was impossible.

Her voice cracked, whispering to the wind, "Whatever is happening, I have a bad feeling about it. I have a bad feeling about everything, and whatever it is, it isn't good. Not one bit. I hope I'm just broody and paranoid." For a moment she considered mediating again, but dismissed it, glancing down at the mirror in the palm of her hand before she stood up, making her way to the elevator door. There would be no peacefulness or rest until this feeling was expelled from her system. That, she knew, was a certainty.

* * *

I've noticed my fiction chapters are getting longer and longer by the minute. COOL! This means I'm really getting into it!

Expect the next chapter to be longer, just as soon as I finish mapping it out, and saying where I want to go with it. I'm still a bit iffy on what I want to happen... I know how everything plays out though, so that's good. I know how Slade's going to get to Beast Boy and Cyborg, but I'm not sure about Starfire and Raven at the moment. I need to think these things through.... Still, expect the next one to be longer than this lol!!! Now, it's off to do homework (whoo hooo..... Talk to you all later!)

**Please Read and Review!!!!**


	5. 5: Madness

**

* * *

Memoryofawhiterose-** LOL yes, yes, three of the five Titans went on a shopping spree..... makes me almost wish it wasn't a shopping spree at the mall lol! The way I have Robin's card set up is it connects with a Wayne Foundation, extra-secure, added account courtesy of Batman/Bruce Wayne himself. In my perspective, even though he's not 'partnered' with Richard anymore, he'd still want to take care of him. So, money-wise, whatever Robin needs, Batman gives it to him. And thank you! I'm glad you like it so much! And yes, our favorite green elf loves his tofu so much that he worships the new fridge ROFL! 

**Kaliann-** I do enjoy it, thank you for updating as you do! And thanks for the compliments!

**Pink Holligan-** ROFL, I promise, it's not entirely RobRae I promise rofl! And I'm tempted to send most of this fic into the RobStar direction, with something big..... Hmmmm...... I think I will..... cackles fiendishly MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! lol! Hopefully this chapter will send your Rob/Star loving heart into overdrive! I promise, there's a whole DIALOGUE for Rob and Star, and with some sweet things going on too! Check it out!

OK kids, now we get to the good stuff: Things are starting to pick up for the Titans after this chapter, so newer chapters will be IMMENSELY LONG. I'm talkin' about, oh, maybe 10 to 15 pages. That's ALOTTA STUFF, almost DOUBLE my original, usual chapter post of 7-8 MicroWord Pages. That's mainly because there's SO MUCH STUFF in here, and what all I can do with it.... it's great, you guys are going to love it! (in case you guys are wondering what helps me do these fic chapters, music wise, I listen to Mephisto Odyssey's "Crash", from the Batman Beyond soundtrack!) Anyway, here we go!

* * *

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," murmured Raven, trying to find her center, "Calmness shelters peace of mind, meditation seeks your inner self." Having left the tower's roof, she had made her way to the living room and started to pace, still troubled by her foreboding feelings and an unrelenting sense of wrongdoing in the near future. Sighing, she threw back her hood and ran her fingers through her violet colored hair, exasperated. Nothing seemed to stop her dread for what was coming.

"Friend Raven?" The voice surprised her, but Raven instantly knew who it was and paused, turning to her Tamaranian friend.

"Starfire, I thought you, Beast Boy and Cyborg were going to find a new fridge to replace the old one."

"We have just returned, Friend Raven, and Beast Boy and Cyborg are currently causing a great commotion by quarrelling with each other over carrying the box of ice in. However, although we succeeded in attaining a wonderful new box of ice, may we please discuss a matter of great importance?"

Normally, she would have said no, favoring peace and quiet to loud conversation with one of the most dreadfully cheery people on the planet, but the way Starfire said it made her stop, "Of course."

"Well," the alien replied wistfully, "it is about Friend Robin. I am... deeply worried about him." Her big green eyes started to tear up, "I fear he is becoming someone that I do not like nor want as my friend! I am afraid that he will fall further into his state of current depression and he may... may..."

"...Become Slade?" asked Raven, finishing the other's thoughts as Starfire nodded her head, "I thought so."

"Have you spoken to him concerning this matter?"

"Yes, but he seems to be stuck for some reason..."

The red-haired girl blinked, contemplating, "Then can our assistance help to unstuck him?"

"I'm not sure he wants to be helped, Star. Robin was trained to be Batman's apprentice, and I'm beginning to think that a little bit of the Bat rubbed off on him. He's as obsessive about Slade as Batman was about the Joker, so really, it's not a question of how we can help him, it's of when will he let us." Raven gazed balefully towards the door of Robin's Den, and sighed, "We should talk to him more, though. I have a bad feeling that he's starting to slip away from us..."

* * *

Groaning, Robin didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep until he woke up, mentally slapping himself as he rubbed his eyes wearily. Barely an hour after Raven had left, and already he'd dozed off. It didn't help that this was the second consecutive day of the third consecutive week of "Slade Searching", with the long hours dragging along endlessly; but he could never give it up, not completely, not when he was so close he could taste it... Even though he had so very far to go still, he remained hopeful.

Sighing in half frustration, half exhaustion, the Boy Wonder forced his eyes to gaze back over the group of articles he'd cut out of the newspapers from the past week. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Slade was a challenge when it came to taking him down, tough as anyone Robin had ever faced. What ticked off the hero was the fact that Slade should have been caught already by his own detective skills; he was better in the detective department than most would give him credit for, so why was Slade so hard to figure out? Robin was so much better than what he'd shown, and he knew it, but every time Slade had come within reaching distance, the masked villain slipped right through his gloved fingers like sand.

In a way, he reminded Robin of being a bit like Batman: unpredictable, resourceful, and dangerous. Of course, the fine line between Batman and Slade was dangerously close, but it was still there. Slade could kill, and Batman didn't, wouldn't. Slade was the villain, and Batman the hero. Black and white.

Then why did Robin suddenly feel like a shade of gray? What was this hold on him Slade seemed to have? If Slade was the bad guy, the one who gets caught, why did Robin feel a shred of pity and disappointment at the prospect of watching him face justice, of him getting locked away with such villains as the Joker, Riddler, and Two-Face? Why was he second guessing himself every step of the way there?

Were the Titans telling him the truth when they said he was becoming Slade? Were they right in their comparison, and the relationship between himself and their foe was more than what it seemed? Was he becoming the person he hated the most? He vigorously shook his head from these thoughts, trying to clear his mind, "It must be the sleep," he told himself, scanning absently around his den as if someone was watching him, listening, "I'm not getting enough sleep."

_"Or maybe you're realizing the truth,"_ replied an eerily familiar voice, coming from the back of the room, _"Maybe you're finally understanding your destiny."_

"Who's there?!" cried the teen, his eyes wide open in shock as he bolted from his seat, "What do you want?"

_"You know who I am, and you know what I want,"_ said the voice mockingly, _"You know my heart already, the desires I crave, the life I could choose to lead."_

Robin started walking towards the jeering phantom, harshly stating his own opinions, "Yeah I do, don't I? You're the one thing I'm actually afraid of."

_"Then you must ask yourself this: are you afraid of what I am, or what you could become?"_

"Shut up!" he snapped, grasping a lamp in his green gloved hand and threw it, shattering the ceramics into a thousand pieces, "I don't need your cryptic questions and your clues! You're the last thing I need!"

_"Then why do you sleep and dream at night, envisioning me, embracing me like you would yourself?" _The voice laughed coarsely, _"Then again, I suppose that wouldn't be too hard for you, Bird Boy."_ Glaring wildly around the room, Robin took a few more steps towards the voice, trying to find it from the shadows until his eyes fell on the full length mirror placed flat against the wall. Horrified, he could only stare at his own reflection, a sarcastic, sardonic grin plastered on its face. The doppelganger spoke again, this time, sending chills up the boy's spine, _"Besides, I am you."_

He looked exactly as Robin had under Slade's apprentice ship, including the orange and black panels across his chest and the metal fisticuffs encircling his wrists. The lecherous, curving "S" only made the real Robin sick to his stomach, as well as the memories that symbol had both caused, and weighed on his mind. It seemed that the pain of his betrayal to his friends still ran deep within himself, no matter how he tried to bury it.

The masked eyes... that was the main part about the costume that scared him. The mask was raked upwards, two wicked, curled, almost claw-like extensions accenting his brow, giving him an almost predator-like stare. It was that mask, that wicked mask, which scared him the most. One only had tot look at it and know that the person behind it... he had killed someone, stolen things beyond measure, and enjoyed it. The mask hid the face of a killer, a thief, and an assassin, and the way he smiled so cruelly, so evilly... Robin knew the reflection enjoyed every moment, and that came dangerously close to the fluttering of his own heart at the remembrance of when he had stolen, and how much he briefly had enjoyed the fight between him and his friends...

This likeness of him scared the living daylights out of the Boy Wonder, because he knew that at any moment, when it came down to it, his reflection could be his true self. It was an option in his life, and if driven towards it, he knew he wouldn't be coming back.

The reflection was everything that is Slade, and Robin knew that he could be as well.

The silence lasting longer than it did, the doppelganger continued to jibe him, _"Who else were you expecting, the Joker? Two-Face? The Easter Bunny?"_

"Y-you're not me," murmured Robin, unnerved, "You're not me! You're not even real!"

_"Not yet anyway,"_ countered Mock-Robin,_ "But give it time, and I will be."_

"NEVER!"

_"Tsk, tsk, famous last words. You never knew your full potential, did you Rob? That, and you had one hell of a temper. Think about this, Bird Brain, and let's see if you can wrap your mind around the concept: Batman gave you the basic Fighting 101 class, and guess what? You passed. However, there's so much more-"_

"STOP," his voice commanded the reflection, "Don't. Even. Say. It."

His comment fell on deaf ears though, _"There's so much more you could be, Robin. You could learn to do the unthinkable, feel the power of your own potential, if you only had the right keys to unlock it. Guess what? Slade has them all. All you have to do is knock on his door."_

"Shut UP!"

Mock-Robin laughed again, enjoying the sight of the Boy Wonder resisting, _"You can't shut me up. How can you stop the birds from singing or the fish from swimming? It's sing or die, Birdie, now which would you chose?"_

He shook his head, not listening, "No, and you know WHY!?!? Because I am a Titan! I AM the one who controls who I become, and I DON'T WANT TO BE YOU!!!!!!!!!" His fist clenched tightly and swung forward, embedding itself in the mirror as it cracked and shattered, a warm trickle of blood ebbing from the lacerations the glass had made against his gloved hand, "I'M NOT YOU!!!!!!!! I WILL NEVER BE YOU!!!!"

"Robin!" He felt the shadows envelope his body before he was moved, placed in the air about three feet from the ground and away from the mirror. It had been Starfire who had called his name, accompanied of course, by his captor, Raven. The girls must have heard him, alerted by his screaming, and came running in, "Robin! Cease your act of violence against yourself! There is nothing to be gained from attacking the looking glass!"

"Did you see him!??!" yelped Robin, pointing his right hand at a shard of the mirror, seeing his darker twin gazing back at him, "Do you see him?!?!" He bucked wildly, seemingly in a craze when he suddenly went limp, and Raven was forced to put him down after awhile. When he regained control over himself, He didn't look at either one of the girls, only down at the face inside the biggest piece of reflective glass, the Mock-Robin leering at him yet again, "I'm sorry..."

"Friend Robin, I do not understand, what has caused you to behave in this manner?" asked Starfire innocently, "One moment you are lucid as a Flendersultz, but then you are crazed as a Waterasheeti! Please tell us what is object of your troubles!"

"Star has a point," added Raven, watching the Boy Wonder closely, "Something is wrong with you. Tell us."

"Please Robin, we are your friends!"

"... You're right," he said begrudgingly, "It's just... it's nothing."

"That doesn't fly, Robin," replied Raven, her eyes glowing a dangerously white shade, "You will tell us now."

"Robin, please! Let us know of what is troubling you! I know you have not eaten, or spent time with us, or even slept!"

"That's because I CAN'T!" he snapped, a burst of frustration and anger melding into one as it led him blindly, "I can't SLEEP because of HIM!" He pointed towards the mirror piece again, "It's all because of him..." Suddenly, he sank to his knees, a single tear dripping down from his right eye, "Oh God Star, what am I going to become?"

Starfire bent down and hugged Robin gently, tears threatening to fill up her own eyes, "I do not know if you do not tell me, Friend Robin. Whatever it is, if it is bad, it is not true! But I do not know what is going on unless you speak to me of your concerns."

"Y-You're right... it's because of these... these dreams I've been having: real nightmares, if you ask me," he stifled a bitter laugh, strangely echoing his doppelganger in the process, "I don't sleep well anymore..."

"Dreams? What kind of dreams?" asked Raven, interested from her space by the door.

He shook his head, "I don't know what they mean, or maybe I'm too afraid of what they mean... They all start the same, and the scenario is pretty much the same too. I'm running after Slade, getting ready to take him down, and I've almost caught him... Then, I do catch him, and I whip off the mask to reveal who Slade really is. But it's not Slade, it's myself. And he laughs at me, at what I am, because I'm pathetic to him or something." He shivered, hating to remember the images from his unconscious mind, "And he always says the same thing to me, 'Soon, Robin, Soon'."

"But you are not going to be Slade's successor! I am certain of it! What of Nightwing, your future incarnation?" asked Starfire, "I am positive! I saw it in the future!"

"Not necessarily, Starfire," replied Raven smoothly, "You changed history, remember? You told us that you were supposed to stay there, and not come back. The Titans of that age gave up their Starfire when they were us, right? You changed history by coming back into the past. By returning the clock and coming back to us, our futures are as uncertain as they were before. It's possible that Robin won't become Nightwing, now."

"Thanks for raining on the parade, Raven," muttered Robin, sighing, "I can always count on you to spread the doom and gloom."

Starfire shook her head, and hugged him again, "We won't let you become subject to Slade's nefarious plans! We are your friends, and we shall protect you!"

"She's right," replied a different voice, no one having to turn around to know it was Cyborg, "We've got your back, bro, now and forever. As long as a Titan's livin' and breathin', we're stickin' together like family."

"Yeah!" echoed Beast Boy, transforming himself into a hyperactive monkey and jumping around before he changed back, "We're family! Who else would get my stupid jokes?"

Smiling, the Boy Wonder nodded towards them, a flash of happiness surging through him, "Thanks guys. I needed that."

Suddenly, warning claxons were set off, enveloping the room in a ghastly red glow. "Aww man! Someone's trying to break into the mansion!"

"What do you say, Fearless Leader?" asked Raven to Robin, a faint smile playing across her lips.

He nodded, and grinned back at her before he shouted, "TITANS, GO!"

Just like that, three of the five Titans scampered off, off to battle whatever it was that had invaded their tower. Only Starfire and Robin remained, her arms still locked around his shoulders. Finally noticing this, she blushed and dropped them, beet red, "Apologies, Friend Robin. I did not mean to make my embrace last for so long."

Shrugging, Robin seemed not to mind her, strolling towards the biggest mirror piece and picked it up in his lacerated hand, finally taking note that the cuts on his skin actually hurt. Quickly switching the fragment to his other hand, he grunted, looking back over his shoulder at his friend, "Starfire, can you get the med kit? I have an extra one inside my nightstand by my bed."

The Tamaranian nodded, floating over to the table at the opposite side of the room, fiddling with the handle until she managed to pop it open, take the white Medical kit out, then shut the drawer again. Quickly floating over, she undid the plastic lock and flipped open the cover, bringing out an antiseptic and a gauze bandage, setting the remainder of the pack on the floor. Robin pulled off his glove, wincing at the pain that even that movement caused, and held out his swollen hand, where she promptly started treating his wounds. Starfire was an expert at tying up wounds, at least, the physical ones; Robin was lucky to have her there, because there was no other nurse he would have liked to have more than her.

Starfire bandaged his wounds on his hand, her face growing hot as she caught herself noticing how soft his hands were. You wouldn't think he was the type of guy who would have hands like that, but obviously, looks could be deceiving. His hands were thin but large, and they were so soft... When she managed to get her mind off her thoughts and finished bandaging his hands, she replaced the antiseptic in its proper place before grabbing a hold of his injured hand, kissing it along the knuckles, "It's all better now."

Robin was surprised, even moved, by her act, "Star?"

She blushed, "I have often noticed female spouse and their offspring, and when the children are injured, the mother often bandages the lacerations up, and grazes the bandages with a kiss. Then, she speaks to the child, saying, 'it's all better now'. That is why I did this, and I felt it was appropriate to do so."

He smiled at her, pulling on his glove carefully, trying not to ruin the bandages, "Thank you."

"You are welcome!" she replied cheerily, bending down to take the medical case.

Robin stopped her when she stood up, clasping the side of her face with his injured hand and stroking her cheek, "No, really... thank you. I really appreciate it."

What was it about the Boy Wonder that made her feel all weak in the knees? She bit her lip and gazed into his eyes, trying to see what she really meant to him through them. Unfortunately for her, the mask kept getting into the way, showing nothing but two white pupils on a black background. She smiled, wondering if he was going to kiss her now. Any moment, he'd bend down that little bit until he was eye level with him, and pucker his lips...

Well, he did pucker his lips, but it wasn't on hers. Kissing the top of her forehead, Robin repeated his statement, "I really appreciated everything you've ever done for me, Star."

Slightly disappointed, she nodded, "Of course. Now, shall we continue and find the intruder in the Titans Tower?"

"Yeah, I think it's time for a fight," Strolling to the door, he jerked back a little, calling over his shoulder, "Uh, Star?"

"Yes, Friend Robin?"

"Don't tell this to Cyborg or Beast Boy, ok? About.... about that kiss?"

Puzzled, Starfire inquired, "Why would I keep such a joyous gift a secret?"

"Because I'd never hear the end of it!"

"Why? Are you ashamed of your gift of a kiss?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "No, but they're... they're guys, you know? They'd find every opportunity to tease me about it, and they wouldn't stop until the day I die."

A giggle rose in the Tamaranian's throat, "Alright, I shall keep your secret."

"Ok, now, let's go see what's going on, shall we? Let's go!"

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Finally, the moment you've been waiting for: they highly anticipated fifth chapter in my Teen Titans saga! WHOOO HOOO! I'm actually currently sick (ugh) but I am feeling the creative vibe, so you just might see me update twice this weekend... I dunno, it all depends.

Anyway, yes, who is the mysterious villian who has entered the Tower? And who did they drag with them? All the questions shall be answered in the next installment of Teen Titans: Sinking into Slade!!!!! Tune in next time!

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!**


	6. 6: Uncertainty

**Maroonpirate11-** Eh well, it was one of those "Robin wasn't thinking" things, sorta like he was saying something to his little sister and was like, "Thanks girlie" and kissed her in a friendly way. I'm sorry you didn't like that part, but I'm THRILLED you liked the mirror one! I always pictured Robin fighting himself like that, and how his Apprentice self would mock how 'weak' his hero self was... it's an interesting way to make a character realize something about themselves.

**CrazySpirit123-** LOL this is as much a Robin/Starfire fic as it is a Robin/Raven, Raven/BB, Cyborg/Jinx, etc., etc., etc. story! I'm not kidding you: this story has got a little bit of everything going on in it, so you interpret it your own way! I will eventually do a (TRUE) Teen Titans RobStar, even though as much as I love that pairing, I like RobRae better, but then again, that's me..... I'll probably do a whole bunch of TT stories if I can keep myself focused on DOING THEM....... Thank you for the compliment though!

**AriesFalcon-** Thank you for your review! I haven't seen Mad Mod yet, but I'm hoping to! It sounds like a riot! I'll hopefully get to "To Take a Dare", thank you for suggesting it!

**Rose Eclipse-** Heheheh thank you very much! I always wanted to see it to, and I always dreamed of doing that sort of thing; it gave me the chance to portray one of the most upstanding characters in a new and darker light, and it's totally acceptable in the situation as well. I wanted to see how the Apprentice alter ego could have been towards Robin, and I gave myself chills writing this! It's EXACTLY what I would have expected Robin to be like if he'd been taken under Slade's wing! And Brilliant job 'as usual'? I hope this doesn't mean I'm getting-GASP!- predictable! Lol

**Kaliann-** No, no it's not. In fact, I wanted that to happen so badly, I came up with this fic for it! ROFL! (oops? Was that a spoiler? Was it? is it? Eh, maybe... I dunno yet... I might have Rob just snap back into his regular self after all this.... or maybe not. Ehhehe you never know!) I will consider your suggestion tho...... Hmmmmm....

**Pink Hooligan-** LOL Maybe I will slip in a few more RobStar moments.... And no, Rob hasn't gone completely nuts.... yet. Just wait, things get better (or would that be WORSE?) You'll love it even more, I promise you!

**Well anyway, I am TERRIBLY sorry for the delay: Homework has basically taken over my life.... Heck, I don't have a life besides school...... and I sort of fell out of the TT writing funk, but that's ok! I've gotten back on it, thanks to rewatching Haunted and Masks! I am SO SORRY for leaving you guys hanging, and I'll try to be better at updating. This time, I won't let so many months go by me before I update! I'm sorry! Forgive me!**

You'll know EXACTLY who broke into the Titan Tower by, well, by the first moment you're read, almost! Lol!!!!! Here we go!

* * *

The only thing Robin could hear was the screaming, crashing, and grunting of a fight as soon as he stepped out of the elevator to the front door, 'lobby' area in the Titans Tower, and he just stood there and gritted his teeth at the display in front of him. There were hundreds, hundreds of soldiers decked in metal and black with a bright orange circle across their masks. Slade's drones, but what were they after?

He needed more time to assess the situation, "Starfire! Get to work!" he shouted, as he himself vaulted over an oncoming drone and swept its feet out from under it, a swift strike with a flipped open birdarang disabling it completely. His body moved like liquid grace towards Raven, the closest member to the Titans he could get to, and he shouted. "What's going on?"

Her eyes were flashing red as she unleashed her power, chanting her familiar mantra before pausing slightly to glare at him, "Ask Miss Hex, she'll tell you what's going on!" She pointed with a finger towards the kitchen area, making a face as she threw a drone out the window with her other hand. "Go ask her!!!"

"Miss Hex?" he wondered aloud, sidestepping an attacker and thoroughly pummeling him with a combination of karate and street fighting tactics, surveying the scene as best he could while kicking some henchmen butt. It took a few moments before his masked eyes were placed upon a figure behind the kitchen counter, and he frowned.

The pink hair completely gave her away.

A snap kick to another drone was all it took to make it fall, giving Robin enough of a break to dive in her direction ahead, of a few attacking drones and barely grazing their grasp. Two birdarangs instantly appeared in his hands almost without even thinking about it, and they imbedded themselves into the henchmen almost as quickly. Then, he dropped out of sight, and focused on Jinx.

She was barely breathing, unconscious, and bleeding badly from a deep wound spanning the length of her thigh. Crimson splashes dotted the rug underneath her, and he winced when he propped her up a bit, noticing another slash across her right shoulder blade. She was banged up awfully, and lucky to be alive at the moment.

A Slade drone was thrown, denting the stainless steel appearance of the new refrigerator while a deep, booming voice screamed in fury, the "BOO-YAH!" callings giving away its owner. Oh yeah, Cyborg was pissed off: Robin didn't even need to see him to know that. Growling from Beast Boy's tiger form informed him the changeling was running ramped, most likely slashing at any bad guy in sight. Starfire's starbolts crackled like lightning, while Raven's chanting rose above all the calamity of grunts and moans. Oh yeah, they were all a bit teed off, and Robin smiled.

It was nice to have a few friends to provide cover fire.

He tried to scoop Jinx up but found out he couldn't: the girl was too much of an armful for him to get her safely to the medical bay without hurting her. "Cyborg! Get over here!"

Instantly, he was at his side, and Cyborg inhaled sharply. "My God..."

"Take her to the medical wing! I'll cover you!"

He nodded, and gently lifted the pink girl into his arms, taking great care to support her as he moved through the crowds of attackers; he didn't even hesitate to shoot: he just bowled over the drones like bowling pins, hurrying his way to where he needed to go.

Robin tossed a few birdarangs to help clear the way, then took his bowstick from his belt and extended it. He smiled, anticipating the fight, and went to work, twirling the weapon in circles one way, then the other before taking the head off a Slade drone, dismembering it altogether. Leap-frogging off of its back, a snap kick punched a hole through another, sending them both toppling to the floor while he rolled through the legs of a third, swiping and breaking off the legs in one clean stroke. It seemed like nothing and no one could touch him, not by a long shot.

He didn't expect what happened next. A thunderous crash distracted the crowd of fighters, and Robin was just in time to watch Beast Boy tumble out the window, a Slade drone locked in his gorilla paws. "BEAST BOY!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

He felt himself fall, but Beast Boy wasn't too concerned. After all, he was Beast Boy! Able to trounce Cyborg with any video game ever in a single bound! He could just morph into a bird and fly away, as soon as he was finished with this one guy...

The drone didn't say a word, but then again, it never did: it was just a machine, after all. This one, however, had a few tricks up his sleeve. Taking a knife from its belt, it slashed at the changeling, trying to dislodge him from its body. It almost worked too: he had to let go of it before he ended up with a two feet gouge that wouldn't heal right when he reverted back to his original form. The distraction proved to be enough, and the drone quickly changed hands and grasped a hypodermic needle from a compartment on its belt, and plunged it straight into Beast Boy's monstrous arm.

Beast Boy roared in pain and let the henchmen go, immediately changing into a bird and flying back upward towards the broken window. "DUDE! That hurt!!" he yelped, watching his enemy crashing into the rocks below.

* * *

Robin caught a figure out of the corner of his eye, and he gasped in surprise. "SLADE!!!!" But just like that, he was gone, like a flash of lightning, completely disappearing into the growing, stormy darkness like he was never there at all. He could hear Raven snarl in frustration and astonishment, and the Boy Wonder gazed around, bewildered. The drones in the tower were gone, not even a nut or bolt strewn about to mark their existence. They simply vanished, just like their master.

It spooked him severely. How could all those drones just... fade away, like they never existed?

A small green chicken hawk soared through the room and changed into BB's original form, Robin's friend rubbing his arm absently. "So, what did I miss?"

"Everything," replied Raven, her classic, gravelly tone clipped and precise. "What happened to you? Why are you rubbing your arm?"

"One of Slade's goons shot me with something. I don't know what it was, but it really hurt."

"Perhaps Friend Beast Boy would like to be physically examined by a medical practitioner in the immediate area?" asked Starfire, concerned. "Or shall we conduct this evaluation in the medical facilities we have at our disposal, here in the Tower?"

Robin replaced his collapsible bow in his utility belt and nodded. "Jinx has got some explaining to do anyway, so let's all head on over there. Maybe she can tell us what Slade wanted with her in the first place."

* * *

Cyborg gently placed her upon the freshly made infirmary bed, sliding her thin and frail body between the bottom sheet and the top cover without rousing her from her sleep. Tucking her in, his eyes surveyed her, eyeing every bruise and cut, gash and slash, gritting his teeth as they all began to bank up like tally marks in his mind. When they caught up to Slade, he would pay, and pay severely for what he had done to her. If he had been completely human, he would've crushed their throats with his bare hands for touching her. Now, he'd have to smash open their skulls.

It was the first time he wanted to hate Slade, with the same venom Robin was prone to every once in awhile. And for the first time, he not only wanted to, he enjoyed it too. Slade was going to pay for what he had done.

When all was said and done, Slade would die by his hand.

A sudden moan cut through his thoughts and a violet eye trained itself on him, half open. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad she was alive, and she smiled weakly up at him, trying to hang on to consciousness for as long as she could. "I know.... you would.... save me," she whispered. "You always save me."

Her words melted his heart. "Are you going to be alright, Jinx?"

"Don't... know... it's getting... fuzzy..." She faded out, and lost consciousness once again.

"Great," he replied, sighing. "I save your life, and now you're not going to stay awake long enough for me to feel all macho about it. You miss the best things sometimes..."

The door opened behind him, and he wasn't surprised to hear Robin's voice address him. "How is she?"

"Surviving, just like always," he answered, stroking a metallic finger down her cheek.

Beast Boy sneezed. "Hey Cy, could you do a little scanning thingamajig on me?" He hopped his way towards the half machine. "A Slade drone did something to me, and I mean, I don't feel any different but--"

Cyborg just nodded, never breaking his gaze from the woman in the bed in front of him. "I'll take care of it, BB, don't worry."

An orange hand surprised him when it placed itself on his shoulder. "It is alright, Friend Cyborg," whispered Starfire reassuringly, "because she will awaken in no time at all! You just need to give her time, two flunderstivvels more, and she'll be standing on her feet and walking on them!"

"I hope so."

* * *

"Report," demanded Slade immediately, too busy watching his holographic doppelganger disappearing out of sight in the Tower to glance over at Dr. Simms. "I want your report on the final two projects."

Simms yawned, weary, his eyes blurring from lack of sleep. "I...I've got Project H almost finished but--"

A metallic gauntlet moved faster than the poor man could see, and Slade lifted him two feet in the air. "Almost is not good enough, Doctor. What have I said about patience?"

"The girl... the girl is there, and she... she..."

"I know the girl is there, Doctor. I drove her there! I'm not blind to the happenings in the Titans' Tower, but what I seem to be blind to is whether you serve a purpose or not!" He threw the man across the room and fumed silently, cursing the pace of his project. Why did this fool's squabblings have to take so damned long? Slade wanted results as quickly as possible, not at a snail's pace!

Simms trembled, crying, making his escape back to his laboratory. "I...I...I'll get back t-t-to work..."

"You had better. You, my friend, are running out of time. And you don't want to know what will happen when I lose my patience."

* * *

Beast Boy tried to see around the headpiece Cyborg had fitted over his head, but found that he couldn't. "Aww, man, why do I have to be covered in this thing? Dude, can't you just take some blood and do tests? I can do blood. I got enough blood drawn when I was a kid anyway: everybody wanted to know how screwed up I was because--"

"Beast Boy?" asked Raven, irritated. "Shut up."

While waiting for Jinx to wake up, the green changeling was the next to receive a physical, while everybody else watched on. Encased in a metal body suit complete with every single type of sensor, probe and analyzer, Beast was, to say the least, not a happy camper after about two hours of staying put. Probably was the only time he ever kept still for that long as well, now that he thought about it...

"I'm going crazy here, Cyborg!!! Am I ok or not?"

Cyborg shook his head, studying the read outs from the medical computer. "Says here, you're absolutely fine. Whatever that drone put into you, it's either something to just scare the stuffing out of us, or completely undetectable."

"Well that's comforting," replied Raven. "Undetectable, untraceable, and we won't know what it does until it's too late."

Starfire looked worried. "Does this mean that Friend Beast Boy will not be able to participate in any future battles?"

"As much as I don't want to say it, no." Surprised, everyone stared at Robin, and he clenched his undamaged hand into a tight fist. "Slade is at the bottom of this, whatever it is, and I need every single one of us on the job. I want to know what he's planning."

"Robin, are you insane?" yelped Cyborg, glaring at his best friend. "Didn't you just hear Raven? We don't know WHAT Slade did to him! He could turn into a fish and flash fry within two seconds for all we know!!!!!!! It's too dangerous, and I won't--"

"...Cyborg..." a weak voice mumbled, and Jinx, in the next bed, chose that moment to wake up. Her eyes popped open a bit, and a shaky hand rubbed them, trying to clear the sleep dust. "Cyborg?"

"Jinx!" Completely forgetting his lecture, he practically bowled Star over to get to the witch girl's side. "Jinx, are you ok?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah I think... I think so." She groaned, wincing in pain from her injuries. "What happened...?"

"You managed to get to the Tower before you collapsed," explained Raven. "Do you remember anything that happened?"

"S...Slade... His goon squad, they... they attacked me..."

"Why?" demanded Robin feverishly. "Why, Jinx?"

"I... I don't.... Don't know..."

"Yes you do, tell me!"

"Robin, get a grip," groaned Beast Boy. "She's not going to tell you if you keep playing good cop bad cop with her."

The Boy Wonder glared, shooting daggers at him. "We're never going to get any answers from her unless we..."

"He wanted... he wanted you..." Jinx tried to choke out, obviously fighting her closing eyelids. "Robin... he wanted... he wanted..."

"What? He wanted what?"

"This." A hand slowly moved to a pocket in her short blue-black skirt, and drew something out, letting it flutter to the floor before she passed out.

It was a sight Robin, for sure, never wanted to see again; Beast Boy could just tell from the Boy Wonder's wide open eyes. A mask had been dropped on the floor, but what was worse was the way it looked.

It was Robin's apprentice mask.


	7. 7: Secrecy

**Aeris-Raven**- Thank you for your review! Yeah, I just had some problems working out a few kinks and schoolwork has almost completely taken over my life. It's hard being a full-time student most of the time... Plus, sometimes I get distracted, and then I waste time I could've used for projects such as this fiction. That's not to mention the times I get writer's block either...

**KaliAnn**- Thanks for the review girlie! I'm happy you're still keeping up with this story, even though I went a long time before updating it. There's going to be some darkness in this chapter, and very few points of light, all leading to the conclusion, and I hope you like it!

Anyway, on with the show!

* * *

Robin jerked back at least two feet like the mask had bit him or something, and stared in horror. No, no, not this again. It couldn't be that, he didn't except it. There was no going back, he refused to go back to the way things were before; he refused to do it all again. "Oh God..." 

Beast Boy glanced down at the raked mask and whistled, nervously glancing form it to its former owner. "Dude, that's your ma-"

"It's not mine," whispered his friend, shaking his head vehemently. "It's not mine. God, it's not mine!" Freaked, he stormed out the door, too distressed to even notice Starfire calling him to come back, and Raven's prayers to Azarath in his honor.

No, he wouldn't go back to that life. He couldn't, he wouldn't. He'd never.

But deep inside his heart, in a place he dared not to touch, something was growing; something he was afraid of. Something inside him was stretching, and it wouldn't be too long until it snapped. He could feel him inside, the other Robin: Dark Robin. Apprentice Robin. Slade Robin. And he wasn't so sure of the outcome if he had to face him again. This nightmare wouldn't stay in his dreams, and as every second passed, it became that much harder to put the jinn back into the bottle.

He didn't know if he could even do it anymore.

* * *

Running for the roof, he barely had enough time before heavy storm clouds rolled in from the west, blackening the world and encasing it in shadow. He shivered, suddenly cold with fright, and gingerly rubbed his arms with one good hand, one bad one. Nature seemed to reflect his predicament and foreshadow his future. 

A quiet rain began to fall as Robin took off the glove on his injured hand, and undid the blood soaked bandages wrapped around them. Staring at his palm, he examined the slash and the blood smeared on it, looking for answers he knew weren't there. Was this what Slade wanted? Blood? Did he want Robin to suffer at his hand, or was his goal much simpler than that: total annihilation of the Titans?

He felt trapped, so irreversibly trapped, chained to his pastand toan obsession he couldn't stop or satisfy. He could go on forever in this way until the day he died, at the cost of his friends and family, and he wouldn't complain a bit. Life was being sucked out of him, his destiny seemingly not in his control, and his existence was crumbling at his feet. There was no doubt about it, the infamous Robin was starting to crack, and there wasn't a single thing he could do.

His ebony black hair flattened itself against his skull, running into his eyes until his vision blurred. A few of the droplets his own, he brushed them away, trying to think of any way out besides where Slade wanted him to go. Mind hazy, he tried to focus on logic, the right and the wrong, but failed.

With his cape billowing around his shoulders, he sat down on the roof, and breathed in slowly, recalling a method of meditation he picked up from Raven. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind, ridding all thoughts of Slade for the moment while focusing on his friends, calming his heart rate and trying to realign his thoughts. He needed peace and quiet, something that could help him escape his obsession and think clearly, something that would hopefully...

"You're only fooling yourself, Little Robin," replied the haunting voice of his doppelganger, sounding frighteningly like Slade himself. "You know you can't stop me." Robin opened his eyes and his heart sped up, watching as Dark Robin sneered at him, the figment manifesting itself in dotted lines of raindrops. "Boo, did I scare you?"

Robin inhaled sharply, and stood up on his feet to face him. "You're not real. Leave me alone."

"Oh, I'm very real. I am the thing that haunts your every nightmare, shredding every drop of courage in your pathetic little mind. I am a wraith, the darkness that cradles your heart and seeps into your soul. I am you, Robin, and I don't intend to stay locked away for very long."

"Just leave me alone! I don't need you! Rot in hell, and take Slade along with you!"

A swift hand brutally slapped him, and Robin was knocked back, shocked that a ghost could become corporeal in a matter of seconds. "You need me, Robin. You need every single bit of me. You aren't yourself without it."

"How... how could--? How did--?"

"The how's and why's aren't important, Robbo. The when's are. As in, when are you going to let me in?"

He shook his head. "Never."

Doppleganger Robin only laughed, a harsh barking noise filled with dark insanity. "Fool. I already am."

The Boy Wonder shivered more as the laughter echoed in his brain, even long after the other vanished like the wraith he was. It was enough to give Robin the creeps.

* * *

Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy had finally left the room, and it was about time. There was a job to be done, and it was so very irritating to have to wait. Waiting, he hated waiting, waiting sucked. Whose idea was this again? 

Jumping out of Jinx's pocket, he managed to land on the bed with minimal damage to his legs. A few more long extensions later, and he was on the floor, skittering towards a floor vent in the ventilation system. Smiling wickedly, he set to work, undoing the screws that set the vent in place and opening the grate, slipping in unnoticed. His legs making metallic clicking noises, he hurried towards his destination, cackling as he went, visions of grandeur dancing in his head. He'd show them. He'd show them all.

A few beeping noises from his pack made him stop for a second, but when he looked, he couldn't have been happier. What he needed looked just like what the doctor ordered. He had to admit, Doc Simms did good work: this thing would be untraceable, undetectable, and deadly.

Just how he liked it.

After about ten minutes in the ducts, he poked his legs out the vent and used them to unscrew the screws on the other side. As it fell away, he already leaped to his feet and enlarged himself, rubbing his hands together and smiling widely. One plug-in cable next and he was in business.

Crowing with pride, he jacked in to the computer's mainframe, and in seconds, his work was done. When he turned to leave and headed for his escape route, Gizmo's face was a replica of the Cheshire Cat's as he shrunk himself again. "This'll show you, you good for nothing fun sucker. You'll get what you deserve!"

* * *

Fading in and out but slowly coming back to her, Jinx moaned, waking up from unconsciousness and sighed. God she didn't want to do this, she really didn't... but did she have a choice? Not one she could see, and if she wanted to stay alive, she'd have to do what she'd have to do. 

She didn't have to like it, but saving herself was at the top of her list right now.

Slowly, she lifted her body from the table and bit her lip in pain, drawing blood. God, why did Slade's drones have to slice and dice her so badly? She knew it all had to look real, but those stupid droids really did slash her up. Her shoulder blade felt like it was on fire.

Her feet silently landing on the floor, she used anything in her path for guidance, and started walking towards her destination, hoping to God no one saw her before she completed her task.

Slade would surely kill her if she was.

* * *

"I hope Jinx is ok," said Cyborg, leaning up against the island tabletop in the kitchen. "She was pretty banged up when she came in." 

"Cyborg," replied Raven, attending to various pots on the large kitchen stove before a few of them could boil over, "why are you so worried about her?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. She just makes me feel... different. Better, somehow. When I saw her wounds, I wanted to kill Slade with my bare hands because his flunkies had laid a hand on her. Now..."

When she heard that, she smiled briefly, and nodded. "Sounds like you might be in love with her."

"What? Me?" He tried to laugh it off like it was a joke, but sheepishly hung his head. "Guess it's obvious, isn't it?"

"Sort of. At least she doesn't have you on a leash like Terra did to Beast Boy." Raven turned off the stove and gripped the steaming pot with both hands, bringing it over to him and placed a potholder on the counter. Setting it down, the brownish, almost boiling liquid sloshed around inside while the half-demon reached for a bag of marshmallows. "It's kind of nice though. Nice to see love and compassion in this house again. Makes things a bit brighter."

"Yeah, but I'm not the only one whose crushing on someone, am I, Raven?" asked Cyborg slyly, winking. "You've got something going on with Robin, I know you do."

She blushed. "I do not!"

"Do too. I can see it in your face when he's around."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. And what about the 'other woman'? Starfire?"

Raven shook her head slowly and grabbed the whipped cream can from off the counter, squirting it in his direction. "If she wants him, she can have him. I can't show my emotions, even if I HAD THEM, that often, remember?"

"Hey!" Cyborg laughed uproariously. "If you say so, Rave! If you say so!"

They played a bit with the hot chocolate and whipped cream, dishing themselves up cup after cup. They were so busy that they never even noticed the shadow of a girl in the hallway, making her way from the medical wing to Raven's room.

* * *

She made her way towards her destination and slipped in the door, closing it shut behind her. Searching around, Jinx caught sight of what she needed and picked it up, trembling as she gazed at it, disgusted with how low she'd become. Why, why... why did Slade make her do this? 

Closing her eyes, she held the object at arms length and hexed it, placing it back on the table where she found it and limped out as fast as she could. There, she was done with it.

She hated her life.

* * *

"Have you got the last project completed, Doctor?" Slade's persistent voice asked, watching the pink-haired girl cry through the Titans' security system. "I hate to be kept waiting." 

Simms only lasted long enough to mutter, "yes" before collapsing, exhausted.

Unconcerned, the villain smiled, happy at last to have one of the missing pieces to his puzzle found. Things were fitting into place rather nicely, and soon, Robin would be his.

Soon.

"Time to free the accomplices. I hope Cinderblock, Overload and Plasmus are ready to play."


	8. 8: Disillusionment

**Alexnandru Van Gordan** (on ch.6)- Yes, the Slade/Robin aspect is exactly what I was going for! I've always been fascinated with the aspect of "when heroes go bad", which is why I even wrote this fic to begin with, and when I saw the Apprentice eps, I went bonkers. The idea of Robin reverting back into Slade's apprentice was too good to pass up. And yeah, I try to include some mystery into what happens when, while still leaving you in the dark. I can't give all my secrets away! And thank you for the applause! _Bows gracefully_ I try. LOL! Thank you for reviewing.

**Aeris-Raven**- Nooooooo, Jinx isn't stupid and evil! I personally love Jinx, and she's a good character to play with, but she isn't stupid and evil, I swear! I see Jinx as a young lady who, like Terra, is in a position she can't get out of. She hates where she is, she wants out after doing too many horrible things, but someone or something is blocking her way. The only thing she loves about it is that she gets to use her hex powers. So, she tries to make the best out of the situation she's in, and tries to enjoy herself, even if it is half-heartedly. (If you notice in this fic, however, I've actually given her a bit less self-indulgence, meaning she's not as snarky and full of herself as she usually is.) The only difference between her and Terra is that Jinx has the experience in doing this. It's actually possible that she's done the bad girl thing for so long, she doesn't know what it's like to be on the right side of the road. Plus, I believe in the comic books, Jinx actually joined the Titans for a bit before going off and doing her own thing. BTW, 'Poor Raven' is right, you should see what happens to her and to the others when Slade's plans come into the light, and what exactly has been done. And thank you for the compliments! _Blushes_ I try my best to write these things as best I can, when I can, and I want to read through this story and smile because it was something I myself would like to read. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it!

**KaliAnn**- Yes I did use Dark Robin in here, and I didn't think you'd mind. I was sitting here, going, "Ok, Sarah (that's my real name btw) you need something else here, something that reflects Robin's situation and him being evil. What's a name I can use...?" And I automatically thought of your fic. So, that just goes to show you how much I treasure feedback: I do, on occasion, throw something in there in honor of the wonderful people who take the time to read my fictions! And you're right, Robin denies his evil side and tries to see things in black and white. But he can't do that: it would kill him indefinitely. He's going to learn a lesson in acceptance very soon, and it's going to be a very, very painful one at that. And yeah, I thought the normal convo with Raven and Cyborg was a nice touch too. Jinx is nervous, more like despairing if you think about it, because I think she does love Cyborg in a really "in like" way... Your wish is my command as well: this chapter is going to be super, super long, just like you asked. I had already planned on it.

**sYnergY's Duality**- Thank you very much! And don't worry, I'll be updating VERY soon! I can't keep away from this fic if my life depended on it!

If you guys can believe it, we're at the highest point in the fic: the climax. This chapter is going to be VERY, VERY long, because I have a lot to explain, and an abundant span of 'canvas' to paint my masterpiece, so I better get right to it.

Oh, and just for the record: the end of this story's going to be a shocker. You're going to hate me for it, you'll be so pissed at me... But I'll say this: nothing in this fic is absolutely permanent.

You've been warned. Anyway, on with the show!

* * *

Jinx hobbled away from Raven's room when she stopped and cried. No, she couldn't. Slade be damned, she couldn't do it, not now, not ever. The Titans were the only ones who could help her now, who could shelter her from his wrath, and Cyborg, surely Cyborg... 

She moaned loudly, her wounds throbbing. They felt like wildfire inside and out, and the bandages around them were already soaked with blood. If they kept bleeding like that, then Slade wouldn't have to kill her: his goons had already done it.

"Better... make the most... of it," she stuttered, and turned around, stumbling back to the half-demon's room. "Get... the... mirror..."

A shadow fell upon her, and she felt herself being lifted, collapsing in the embrace of Raven's powers. "What are you doing near my room?" the hooded figure demanded. "I thought you were in bed, Jinx!"

"The... mirror... mirror... Raven..." mumbled Jinx before she passed out yet again.

"Mirror?" Eyes wide, Raven yelled for Cyborg to hurry over, and left the pink-haired witch in his mechanical arms, hurrying through the door and to her mystical mirror. She picked it up and studied it, not sensing anything threatening, and she relaxed a bit, shoulders slumping slightly. False alarm.

Sighing, her fingers rubbed over the scrolling markings and raked horns at the top, grateful that nothing was wrong. She still had an uneasiness about Jinx being there, and she had said "mirror... mirror..." when Raven had come along...

Silently, Raven levitated, folding her legs underneath her as her cloak billowed around her. She closed her eyes and focused, determined to figure out what Jinx meant. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she chanted, honing her mental and spiritual powers towards her mirror, her eyes two glowing jewels in the darkness under her hood.

She prepared her mind for her voyage, but this time, something was wrong.

Desperately, desperately wrong.

As soon as her mind touched the world beyond her mirror, a vacuum of brutal force began to pull on her spirit, drawing it further and further into the mirror. Horrified, she tried to break loose but to no avail: it had a firm grip on her consciousness and wasn't letting go anytime soon.

At last, she couldn't resist any longer, her mind sucked into the world of her mirror while her body still levitated in place, white eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

* * *

Alarm claxons went off inside the Tower, and Cyborg glanced up hopelessly, cradling the pink haired witch in his arms. Raven still wasn't back yet, Jinx was unconscious again, and now, someone was trying to destroy Jump City. Great. Just what he wanted. 

Picking her up, he attended to her first by putting her back in her medical bed and pulling the covers over her tightly, letting her rest. Then, he busied himself by running straight to Raven's room, hoping she had solved whatever problem she had in there.

To his surprise, she had chosen that moment to meditate, her blank, glowing white eyes staring off into nowhere.

"Raven!" he yelled, frustrated. "Come on! We gotta go!"

But she didn't move.

* * *

Inside the mirror, Raven whirled around at the landscape of broken meteors and twinkling stars, nervous. This wasn't like any other time she'd ever been here before. The atmosphere was bone chilling, like an icy veil creeping in the shadows, with everything seemingly darker, more sinister, unappealing. The stars were tinged in red, and a minute cawing that sounded like little tiny squeaking sank her heart into her stomach. 

Those bird calls had been there when-

A blast of ruby red power drilled straight into her, answering both her fears and suspicions.

When Raven was flung backwards a few paces, her attacker took advantage of her vulnerability and delivered a solid right hook to her exposed face; a left jab broke her nose and drew blood. The half-demon sputtered, and tried calling her soul selves, hoping they could alleviate the pain and strengthen her power but she was blocked by the monstrosity in front of her. Cackling laughter echoed in the stillness as Raven fell hard against the rocky crevice she was standing on, and looked up at a photo copied version of herself in a dark red cloak, twin sets of eyes glowing hungrily red. "And I thought there was more to you than that, Raven. Tell me, how does it feel to be trapped, in a place where no one can hear you scream?"

It was her anger, the one thing Raven knew could bring disaster to the world. Anger brought two things: trouble, and Trigon, and neither one could be contained once they were unleashed.

At this moment, exposed and without help, she felt true, deep fear for the very first time.

* * *

"Titans, Plasmus, Cinderblock and Overload are creating havoc in Jump City Central Park!" screamed Beast Boy into his communicator, frantic. "Robin, Star, Cy, Raven! We have to get down there now, dudes! They'll wreck the city!" 

Robin answered immediately. "Titans, let's move it! We've got no time to waste!"

"Rob, there's something wrong with Raven!" yelled Cyborg, staring at his friend's levitating body. "She's in some kind of trance or something! I don't know how to wake her up without hurting her somehow! And Jinx is out cold!"

The Boy Wonder fumed. "Who cares about Jinx? She can take care of herself!" Running down the stairs towards the garage, he punched the wall, leaving a small but noticeable dent in the metallic paneling. "And damned good time to go start meditating! We need Raven, now!"

"Dude, look, you, Star and Cyborg can go deal with Slade's goon squad, ok? I'll sit this one out and..."

"No, I will," insisted the half-machine, shaking his head. "If Robin can spare me." A slight beeping sound started in the middle of his speech and he sighed. "Besides, I'm low on juice. Have to charge up for five minutes anyway."

"Fine, whatever," snapped Robin. "Do what you have to do Cyborg, then rendezvous with us ASAP. Hopefully, we won't die by the time you get there."

"I am making my way to the lot of parking to meet up with you, Friend Robin and Beast Boy," interrupted Starfire. "We shall go and do battle with the fiends in the park of the center of the city now, right?"

Robin scowled, but agreed grudgingly. "Titans, go!"

* * *

Cyborg frowned, worried about his friend. It wasn't like Robin to just spout off at everyone like he seemed to be doing more and more. Ever since he knew Slade had come back, he had been thinking of only one thing: destroying Slade. Robin was beginning to be a loose cannon, explosive and dangerous, more so than he was when he was infected with that psychedelic dust. He was showing a side of himself that Cyborg had never seen before, a side that scared the taller Titan, and he was afraid for him too. If Robin went over the edge, he wasn't so sure if he could be pulled back. There was a bigger chance of falling at this point, and he dreaded every moment Robin was pushed, further and further towards the abyss. 

If Robin fell to Slade once again, what hope would the Titans have to get him back?

Walking to his room, he plugged himself into his charger, full of questions, regrets and worries. Closing his eyes, he managed to utter a few words before he yawned widely and went to "sleep". "I hope Robin stays with us..."

Something inside the charger activated, sensing the flow of power into the human cyborg, and it complied, downloading itself into his mainframe. He'd never know what hit him when the time was right. He would never know.

* * *

Helmet flipped down, Robin zipped down the wide and open road towards Central Park, Starfire and Beast Boy in a hawk form flying right above him. He felt inadequate with only half his team with him, but his stubbornness and obsessive behavior just spurred him on, too determined to face this one without them and face Slade once again. 

He knew that Slade was coming. Almost with a sixth sense, the Boy Wonder snarled, his lower lip curling with ferocity as he pictured his archenemy there. There was no way he'd miss this, most likely there to crow about his beloved plans and how wonderful it was to see Robin perform like some sort of circus monkey. But that was the way Slade was to Robin: just a spectator, watching him from every viewpoint, judging him, manipulating him. He was sick, an insane madman that needed to be stopped at all costs, and the Boy Wonder was determined to bring him down, no matter what the cost. He was the only one smart enough, capable enough, cunning enough, athletic enough. Slade was his. He would be taken down, and he'd show him what it meant to be the loser.

He'd show them all that he wasn't crazy. When he caught Slade, they'd all see he was right. He'd show them.

Narrowing his eyes, he spotted Plasmus ahead of him, eating a park bench, his putrid, oozing mauve goop sloshing about, spraying everywhere. Overload wasn't doing much better, sucking up the electricity from a park light and increasing his size and strength. Cinderblock was howling like the possessed, tearing up concrete and landscape like confetti and stomping around, creating mini earthquakes with every step he took. The monsters were having a grand old time, but the park was the farthest they were going to go; they'd go nowhere else to spread their "happy hour".

They were going down.

"TITANS, GO!"

* * *

Raven was fighting for her life, sending psychic force bolts at every opportunity, although her evil clone never really gave her one. She was bleeding in various places, including her nose and slashes on her arms and knees. An ankle was broken, she was sure of it, and a few ribs were cracked, all telltale signs of her growing weariness. She was beginning to tire when Red Raven was barely breaking a sweat, the doppelganger still leering and laughing at her for backing away. She was trying as hard as she could, fighting with the best of her abilities, but it never seemed enough. 

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she screamed again, pushing her arms forward and sending another bolt towards her foe.

Red Raven just laughed more, and dodged, sending another red bolt towards Raven's abdomen. "Poor Raven, are you getting tired yet? Have you had enough? I don't think you have."

"Stop, please," she asked, almost begging. "Stop this! You're never going to rule my life! I won't go back to Trigon! He can rot in whatever hell I sent him to the last time!"

"Oh please," scoffed the other in disbelief. "Do you think I'm doing this for him? Do you really think Jinx would have gone and released me just so Trigon could satisfy his vendettas? Think about it, you freak of nature! Why would she ever help Trigon when she doesn't even KNOW HIM?"

Raven was shocked. "Jinx? She did..." Suddenly, it all fell into place and she growled, furious. "She hexed my mirror!"

Red Raven kicked her in the face. "What you should be asking, Raven," she began, "is why?"

"I'm betting you know," moaned the other, spitting blood out of her mouth. "Why? Why would she do that?"

"Oh, you can bet that she didn't want to. She almost had second thoughts because she actually thought she could live with you Titans like she was one of you. She thought you'd give her some sort of haven, a life away from Slade, but he'd kill her first before she even got the chance to become a Titan. Face it, you half-blooded harlot, you have no idea how close she was to actually sparing your pathetic life. I'm glad she didn't!"

"Why? What's the point in hexing my mirror in the first pla..." Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place, and she moaned again, horrified. "Robin. He wanted Robin alone."

Red Raven sneered cruelly. "Wow, you're not half as dumb as you are. Yes, Slade wanted Robin. He's always wanted Robin, and don't you know? He'll get him, now that you're preoccupied with yourself." She crowed joyously, dancing in circles and using her powers to create a light show above their heads; terrifyingly enough, some of the spells she used were ones Malchior had taught Raven before, the dark magic swirling into shapes and fireworks of unearthly proportions. "All of you Titans will fall, and Robin will be alone. With no one to stop him, no one to be there for him, and no strings to his past, he'll come crawling back to Slade and beg forgiveness for ever running away from him. Oh, if only I was there to see it!"

"NEVER!" screamed Raven, her wrath intensifying her power as she shot a blast forward. "He'll NEVER FALL!"

"Oh Raven," mocked the other, snickering as she deliberately dodged the blast. "He probably already has. Now that I'm released, you'll never see him again. It's too bad you never said good bye. But I promise, in the next few moments, it's not going to matter. You see, you weren't the only one who was 'infected' by something that won't stop until you're no longer breathing."

Her eyes wide open, the witch gasped, terrified. "Oh God, no... He didn't..."

"He did, you crow. He did."

"My friends! You can't!"

"My dear, he already has." Red Raven approached, lifting Raven up by the front of her robe with one hand, and charging the other with an intense red globe of power. "In seconds, the Teen Titans will be no more. They'll be destroyed and six feet under."

* * *

Robin revved up the engine of his R-cycle and charged ahead, jumping off the motorcycle at the last minute before it hit Cinderblock in the center of its chest with a massive explosion. Unhooking his bo staff, he extended it and started hacking away at the concrete villain, hollering and whooping at every hit and punch. Cinderblock roared and started slapping at him but the Boy Wonder was too quick. For every time the baddie swatted, Robin had hit it about four times, eventually chipping away and even breaking parts of concrete off. Snap kicks and karate chops began to take their toll, and the thing was off balance about fifteen minutes later, dazed. A bo staff blow to his head, and Cinderblock tumbled backwards, falling over on its back and down for the count. 

"Robin one, Cinderblock zero," grinned Robin, pleased. His satisfaction didn't last long, however, because he saw something moving out of the corner of his mind. "SLADE," he hissed, and gave chase. The hunt was on.

* * *

Starfire, upon seeing her target, immediately started throwing her starbolts in Plasmus' direction, flying circles around the monstrosity and dodging his attacks the best she could. He slobbered everywhere and roared, throwing blobs of his muck in every direction until finally, one hit. 

Like a fly in a glob of peanut butter, she fell, covered from head to toe on a foul smelling, slightly orange goop. "Ewwww," she screamed, grossed out. "I am covered in strange colored mucus!" Disgusted, she shot beams of green light from her eyes, and gritted her teeth. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISGUSTED IN MY LIFE! NOT EVEN WHEN MY SISTER PROMISED MY HAND IN MARRIAGE TO GLGRDSKLECHHH! UGH!"

Plasmus seemed to be laughing at her, and this made her even angrier. "I THINK NOT, PUTRID MUGGLESLITITCH!" The Tamaranian started pounding away at it, burying herself more and more into the goop that was this monster and hacked away, eventually, with the help of the drizzling rain,reducing him far enough to where his plasma self began to shut down, weakened. Instantly, he shrunk back down to his humanlike self, and he shivered, exhausted.

"That is the last time you ever throw your repulsive mucus at Starfire!" she added, triumphant.

* * *

Beast Boy was having a swell of a time trying to bring Overload to justice. Usually the one reserved for Star or Raven, he busied himself by trying to distract the electric monster, rapidly changing from one animal form into another, and back to himself. "Hey, Electric Mayhem! Follow the green birdie!" He morphed into a raven and flew around his target's head, managing to grab a few pebbles and throwing them whenever he could. "Looks like you're dumber than a light post, Overload! Bet you can't hit me!" 

Overload was not pleased, especially since the rain was distracting him from hitting the Titan with aimed direct hits. Bolts of lightning issued from his hands, and Beast Boy narrowly escaped, singeing many of his tail feathers in the process. "OW! OW!" he managed to cry out between his usual form and his animal forms. "THAT HURT! STAR! STAR, I COULD USE SOME HELP OVER HERE!"

Seemingly satisfied with the short work she made of Plasmus, she joined him, and began to beat Overload into submission with her starbolts. The electric villain swatted them away, distracted, and took a few steps back towards a spurting fountain a few hundred feet away. "Beast Boy, the fountain! The rain with the fountain shall help us with this fiend!" cried Starfire, and pointed with a finger.

"Gotcha," replied the changeling between forms, and changed into a mammoth in the blink of an eye. Together, they forced Overload back, a mixture of energy blasts and tusks the catalyst, and Overload flopped over into the pond, shrieking in pain as the water short circuited him.

Then, it was all over. "And another one bites the dust," said Beast Boy, grinning and doing a dance. "Go Beast Boy! Go Starfire! Go Team! Go team! Go Titans! Go Titans!"

"But... where is Robin?" asked Starfire, looking around. "Robin is not here. Shouldn't he be celebrating with us?"

"Oh no," moaned her friend, realizing. "What could make Robin disappear in the middle of a fight?"

"SLADE!"

* * *

"SLADE!" Robin screamed, giving chase to the shadow across the lawn. "You're going down!" 

"On the contrary, Robin: I've only just begun," came the spooky reply, Slade's voice sending chills up and down Robin's spine. From the direction he spoke, Robin saw his form disappear, and the rustling of the bushes near a fence indicated that he'd jumped over the far wall.

Determined, the Boy Wonder never lost sight of his prey. He made the same move, jumping over the wall, easy as breathing, and down the other side. Slade ran right in front of him, and he pursued, anticipating the confrontation that would come at the end of this venture. He would end this, once and for all, by any means necessary.

Slade was his, and he'd be damned, he was going to end it.

Plunging into the darkness, he couldn't see a thing. However, it seemed that Slade could, for he knew exactly when Robin had entered. "Good, Robin. I see you haven't lost your touch."

"It's over, Slade! You're finished! Starfire and Beast Boy have got Plasmus and Overload under control, and I took down Cinderblock. They're all waiting for the police to lock them up, and I'm pretty sure you're going to join them!"

"Really? Overconfident as always. You always did forget the bigger picture. Tell me, what did you learn from the last time we were alone together? Is the witch and the bucket of spare parts somewhere in the wings? What about the alien girl, or the changeling? Are they waiting for you to give the signal to back you up?"

"I don't need them to take you down," growled Robin, arming himself. "I can take you down myself."

"My, my. Impetuous today, aren't we? Remember the last time you tried to 'take me down'? Careful, Robin. Those who do not learn form the past are destined to repeat it."

Robin scowled, whirling around at the voice that seemed to come from everywhere. "I will never serve you again! You've got nothing to keep me from-"

"-From seeing things my way? Oh, but I think I do. You'd be surprised, Robin, because I have ways of destroying every single one of your friends right here, right now. Just test me."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? Can you ever be sure? I could break them, Robin, break them as you could a pile of plywood. Their lives are held in my hand, and in an instant, they'd all be dead."

"You LIAR!" screamed the Boy Wonder, slamming his bo staff into the bricked walls and tearing them apart. "YOU DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER! YOU CAN'T PLAY GOD WITH MY FRIENDS!"

"Oh, but I can," soothed Slade, appearing out of nowhere behind Robin. "And since you don't believe me, perhaps I'll have to teach you a lesson." A remote control looking device with four buttons on it appeared in his hand, and Robin turned around fast enough to see him push button number three. "Say good bye to one of your so called friends."

* * *

The sound of a bell echoed in Raven's mirror, and Red Raven smiled evilly. "Guess it's time to end it all." She looked directly at Raven, who was too weak to move, and held her high, the power blast she held in her other hand glowing more intensely as she brought it to Raven's face. "Good bye, Raven."

* * *

In the silence of her room, the body of the half-demon Raven shuddered violently, and a blood-curdling scream escaping her lips before her body collapsed on the rug, lifeless.

* * *

"If you value your friends' lives, you'd give me what I want," said Slade, his voice oozing malice and determination. "Deliver yourself to me on top of the Wayne Enterprises building, and I just might spare the rest of your friends." 

"You've got to be an idiot if you think I'd fall for that crap again!" answered Robin, staring down Slade and gritting his teeth.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. You never know. You have one hour. For every twenty minutes, another of your friends dies. Tick tock, Robin." He melded into shadow before Robin could reach him,

The Boy Wonder screamed furiouslyinto the drizzling night, cursing his name."I'LL KILL YOU, SLADE! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL KILL YOU!"

"ROBIN!" screamed a voice over his communicator, and Robin snarled at Cyborg's voice.

"WHAT, CYBORG? WHAT DO YOU WANT!"

"My god, Robin, something... something's happened to Raven! I came in here after I heard her scream and...God, she's not moving!"

His heart sank in his throat. "WHAT?"

"Robin, God, GET OVER HERE! Raven... RAVEN, she's... Oh god, no... no... NO!"

"Cyborg, what-"

"Robin, she's dead!" he sobbed, the half machine seemingly dumbfounded and disbelieving. "She's dead. Raven's dead!"


	9. 9: Realization

**Alexnandru Van Gordan**- Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. And I love that feeling too, because it sort of leaves the hero exposed, and in a position he can't really get himself out of. The villain says what needs to be done, this is what he expects, and there's nothing the hero can do but to comply. It's a very powerful moment, and I enjoyed writing the confrontation! The chemistry between Slade and Robin is literally boiling hot! And don't worry, there's pretty much only one chapter left after this one, so the end is near. Thanks for your review, and the applause!

**Aeris-Raven**- WHOA, girlie, let me put in what I said in the last chapter: nothing in this fic is absolutely permanent. I couldn't kill Raven off FOR GOOD! I personally love Raven! Don't worry, she's not through with Slade or her evil side just yet, I promise. And Raven had to die because someone close to Robin had to die, and she just happened to be the first one I thought of. Plus, I wanted to get a reaction (much like yours P ), and Raven's as popular as Star or Robin himself, so... And it's NOT JINX who killed Raven: SLADE killed Raven. Jinx was just his pawn in the plot!

**KaliAnn**- Yeah, things are all coming down to the wire now. We'll see how this all plays out... You'll like it, I promise.

**AriesFalcon **(on chapter 6)- Yeah, the RobRae thing might work for this fic, but I like the RobStar thing too. It's just so much fun playing with both ideas, and making it RaeRobStar lol! And you've got this fic saved on your harddrive? WOW! I didn't know my fic was THAT good! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for the review!

**Sorry this took so long to type up, everyone. Thursday was my birthday, and Friday, 2/4, I had my wisdom teeth pulled, so I didn't feel much like writing. Sorry it took awhile...**

**Like I said in Alexnandru's note above, there's only one chapter left to go after this one, and I'll launch a sequel to finish everything up. I enjoy writing for Teen Titans, and I hope I'll get to write more in the future. Anyway, here we go!

* * *

**

_No. No. Oh god, no..._ Robin's mind was screaming in his ears, and his heart refused to acknowledge what Cyborg had said. _Raven? Dead? No, she couldn't be dead. She couldn't be..._

He gritted his teeth and felt a teardrop or two slide down his face. No, it couldn't be true... no...

_"...You have one hour. For every twenty minutes, another of your friends dies. Tick tock, Robin."_

Furious, he waved a gloved hand around his head, trying to clear Slade's creepy voice from his mind. He could defeat Slade, beat him down, if only he had the opportunity to-

Warning bells sang out in his mind, and he checked his communicator's time function. Fifteen minutes. If Slade was speaking the truth, he had fifteen minutes before another one of his friends fell. It would take him at least ten to get back to the Tower, and God knew how long to figure out a way to save them from Slade's insane game.

He immediately started moving. Time was against him, and he would need every single second.

* * *

Beast Boy stared, wide eyed, down at the bundle in his arms, huge, crocodile tears streaming from his emerald greens. "My God... Raven... my Raven..." Sobbing in disbelief, he hugged her close to him, determined never to let her go. How could this have happened? She was fine when he left, just fine, with her hair streaming across her face in that way he loved; her long billowing cape flowing from behind her at a certain angle; her slender, delicate yet muscular form wrapped in her usual uniform... 

Now here she was, still and silent as death, and he couldn't accept it. Raven wasn't still, not even when she was motionless, and he couldn't accept this. It was a poor substitute for the girl he knew and loved.

For him, after Terra, there was Raven, and after Raven... nothing.

"How... how did this happen...?" He struggled to say the words, and Cyborg sympathetically patted his shoulder and cried with him.

"I don't... I don't know, B. One moment, she was fine, telling me to take Jinx back to the medical wing because she had gotten out of bed. Then Raven went into her room, and she screamed so loudly... I came as quick as I could, but... I was too late."

Beast Boy cried even more, burying his face in her cloak. "I should've been there. I should've been there to protect her, and catch her when she fell, and..."

"I don't think there was anything that could've been done, bud," said his friend. "She was just... gone."

A sudden flash of fury rose within his heart, and the changeling scowled through his tears. "I want to know what happened. I want to know who did this to her, and why. Whoever's responsible is going to pay."

Sniffling came form the open doorway, and Starfire floated into Raven's room, bawling. "I hoped it would not be true, but it is! Our dear friend Raven has truly left us... Who could have done such a thing, for I am certain there would be no reason why Raven would have died on us by choice. Who killed her?"

A low, moaning growl formed in the back of Beast Boy's throat, and he let it out with a howl. "I think I know who, but what I want to know is WHY."

"Who?"

"Who else would be evil enough to kill off Raven and anyone else in his way to get what he wants?"

Starfire immediately gasped, realizing. "Slade."

He nodded. "What I want to know is why."

Cyborg frowned. "I think it's obvious why."

"What? Why is it so obvious? What does Slade want?" asked the Tamaranian.

"Robin. Again. I mean, think about it, guys. He's been taunting and manipulating him, trying to stir up some bad vibes. Plus, you know these past couple days, Robin's been twice as obsessed over Slade as he normally is. Coincidence? I think not."

"But he wouldn't kill Raven, unless he-" Beast Boy stopped right there, and stared, afraid to finish the thought.

Cyborg nodded, fear crossing his face. "Unless he knew he could kill us all with one stroke."

"He is taunting Robin," added Starfire sadly, "and it is working. But now the question is, how far will Slade go, and can he be stopped? And who is next?"

* * *

Robin's heart was pounding, his feet were moving as fast as he could possibly go, but it didn't seem like it was enough; he felt like he was going as slow as molasses. Rain kept pelting his face, making it harder and harder to see as he swiftly dodged from rooftop to rooftop. He had to make it to the Tower before time ran out... he only had ten minutes left... 

_"You'll never make it,"_ cut in his doppelganger, appearing in front of him and laughing hysterically. _"You're too slow, Bird Brain, and you can't outrun your destiny."_

He knew he shouldn't, but he stopped, and glared. "Don't you have something better to do than to mock me?"

_"Off-hand? No. I enjoy this far too much."_

"I don't have time for this!" he screamed, and tried to run past, but Dark Robin blocked his path with a cruel and twisted sneer.

_"Nuh uh, not so fast, Chicken Gizzard. Just where do you think you're going?"_

"Away from YOU!" screamed Robin, initiating a spinning heel kick in the image's direction.

Surprise was on the other's side however, when he blocked the kick and delivered one himself. It caught Robin in the jaw, and he could taste the blood on his lips when he spun away, astounded. What the heck-

Apprentice Robin didn't give him a moment to think however, and a right hook caught him in the ribs. A sharp crack and a searing pain told him that at least one was broken, another cracked. Visions didn't turn corporeal, the didn't, they couldn't-

A boot fractured his good arm, and he cried out, the pain unbearable. "How are you doing this! Why?"

_"Because you need to be taught a lesson, Robbo. Because you're weak, pathetic, and stupid enough to believe that you can be completely good."_ A gloved hand drew Robin up by his hair, and the image slapped him across the face, livid. _"You have no concept of being who you are! You think you're this superhero with no qualms, no quirks, no black marks on an already spotless and clean record. You're so full of yourself and the idea of you being the good guy that you've built your own little world in your mind, full of candy canes and daffodils while the rest of us live in a harsh reality. Get with the program, Boy Blunder, because you're just a poor schmuck in a day dream. Grow up."_

"Wha... wha..."

_"What? What? Is that what you're trying to say? WHAT!"_ He cackled. _"You're dumber than you look. Ok, fine, I'll spell it out for you, because you will never get it otherwise. I hate you, Robin. I hate you, and what you stand for, but more importantly, I hate you for you. You're Mister Goody-Two shoes, Mister 'I never do anything wrong'. I hate you because you're the straight and narrow, without any bends, and I hate you because you're fake. You see, you're an idiot, Robin. You think you can be perfect, but you're not. You think you're the good guy, but you're not. And you want to know why?"_

"W-why...?" groaned Robin, feeling himself slipping into unconsciousness.

_"Because you can't accept the darkness within you. Face it, Robin: with every step you take, you sink further and further into Slade. And it's a quicksand sinking: every time you struggle, you fall in deeper, and you have to gasp for air."__

* * *

_

"Tick tock, Robin," murmured Slade, watching the clock and his monitors carefully. "Tick, tock."

* * *

Moments later, Robin, bleeding, half broken, managed to regain consciousness, although what little good that did for him, he didn't know. Standing on one foot, he assessed his damage and groaned, his mental clock telling him that he wasn't going to make it.

He'd failed one of his friends. Again.

"I'm sorry," he uttered, sobbing. "I'm sorry."

* * *

"Five, four, three, two, one..." Slade smiled beneath his mask, and pressed the second button on his control. "Bye bye, Cyborg."

* * *

Back at the Tower, Cyborg began to feel weird. In fact, it was worse than weird, it was borderline wrong. It started with his joints, their usually fluid moments now giving way to jerky half compliance while his internal systems began to shut down. Crying, bits of his circuitry started blowing out, sparks flying everywhere as the damage began to take its toll.

Starfire and Beast Boy watched in horror as their friend toppled over onto the carpet, deactivated, and certainly dead, with finality.

"Oh god..." murmured the changeling. "Cyborg... Cyborg..."

"The end is near," wailed Starfire softly, fresh tears flowing from her eyes. "The end is near..."

* * *

Robin slammed his head against a billboard on top of the building he was on, feeling a warm gush of blood dripping from the self-inflicted gash. He'd failed them, and he'd fail them all. He was helpless, trapped, unable to get to his friends and protect the ones he loved. It was his fault, all his fault, and if he had had any sense, he would've done things differently. 

Despair began to overwhelm him for the first time ever in his life, and he was ashamed of himself. What could he do? He only had forty minutes left. Forty minutes to either take him to the Tower, or take him to where he knew he would eventually go.

There was no fighting it now. And once he set out, there would be no turning back.

He ripped off the R on his uniform and threw his mask aside, then began his trek towards the Wayne Enterprises building. He was done.


	10. 10: Acceptance

**Alexnandru Van Gordan**- LOL I forgive you. I know what sweets can do to a person! LOL! And yes, yes, I know how fun it is to watch a hero fall. What I always hated about modern day heroes is that they seem a bit too perfect, too shiny, too good. Which is exactly why I love Batman: he's dark, edgy, and you never know when he'll either fall into the pit, or soar above everything. Heroes are supposed to screw up; it's what makes them human or humanistic. If you don't have heroes that fail, then they seem fake. And the way I see it, since Robin was trained by Batman, he'd have the same sort of faults and strengths as Batman. It's how he was raised, and how he "grew up", so to speak. Also, Slade was just watching the clock, waiting for time to wind down during that little break; nothing really happened to Robin, besides the fact that Slade's been driving him crazy. The doppelganger thing is sort of like in Haunted, where Robin see, hears, and feels this mirror image of himself, but no one else does. Robin hasn't admitted to himself that he can't live without the part of him that's Slade, and until he does, he'll keep seeing this twin of his. The twin won't go away until Robin admits to himself that he's slightly evil. Slade didn't directly cause it: it's all in Robin's head... or is it? **(You just gave me a radically awesome idea! Thanks!)** And, like you, I feel very sorry for Simms, the doctor. I feel for the guy; I'll have to make sure to rescue him in the sequel...

**Aeris-Raven**- Don't worry! Everything is going to work out in the end! I promise! Don't be mad at Jinx, she's just did what she had to do! If someone put a gun to your head and said, "either refuse me or do this", what would you do? Would you refuse to do as they asked and die or would you do it, even though it was wrong? Self-preservation is a strong thing, Aeris, and Jinx is definitely into that. She may not want to do it, but if it'll keep her alive, she's all for it. It's part of her quirks. And poor Robin indeed. Now, he's all alone. Thanks for the review!

**Caerula Liriope** - Yeah, I personally loved their interaction too. That was one of those spur of the moment, completely random things that I came up with, and it worked very, very well. And thank you for your review! It's really appreciated!

**KaliAnn**- I agree, BB/Rae make more sense than Terra/BB, but I do love Terra too. She was so misguided and misunderstood... And I was happy I got a chance to lay out how BB 'really feels' about Raven. It's not often you get that angst and sadness in the series. Ever since I saw their hug in Spellbound and their one-on-one convo in The Beast Within, I knew they were meant to be. And, well, Cyborg's dead... or is he? And you guessed it, Robin's not going to just give up. Oh no, there's a confrontation in there somewhere, and then, maybe... something will happen. And I've already e-mailed you via the email you signed up with, so be on the lookout for that! Thanks for reviewing!

**Infamous One**- Oh yes he is. Slade is evil, and he's in no rush at all. The things he wants so badly will come to him, so he's not in any hurry to get them. And he loves to mess with people. Thanks for the note! Appreciate it!

**Well guys, this is the end of "Sinking into Slade". It's been an amazing ride, and thank you all for making this as enjoyable to do as anything else I've done in a long time. I'm thrilled you guys enjoyed it so much. This fic also now encompasses all the Slade eps up to Birthmark as well, so parts of this fic (not much!) is slightly spoilery. Hey, got to keep with the fandom! Anyway, the final chapter is about to begin. Hold onto your hats! Here we go!**

**And don't worry: There's always room for sequels _HINT HINT_ P

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**

He kept going.

There was no rhyme or reason for it, but he went, passing every twenty minutes with a pang in his heart as another of his friends died. What did they ever do to deserve this? He should have left them out of it! If he so desperately wanted Robin's attention, he sure as hell had it now.

The more moments that ticked by, the angrier Robin got. Slade would pay for what he'd done. He would pay with his very life, and with that revelation, Robin snapped, losing every shred of control he ever had. For the first time in his life, even the teachings of the almighty Batman were taken and ignored. This time, Robin wanted to take a life. He wanted to very, very badly.

Slade would die by his hand, and he would enjoy every moment of it.

"SLADE!" Limping, Robin narrowed his bright blue eyes and gasped for air, spitting blood on the rooftop of the Wayne Enterprises building as he called out again. "SLADE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE!"

A chill ran down his spine, and he wasn't surprised to see his adversary walk out from behind a capital E of "Wayne". Slade considered him a moment, his seemingly endless gaze taking in Robin's unmasked face and the usual Robin emblem missing, before he cocked his head to one side, and addressed him like some sort of child. "You called, Robin?"

He glowered, hating everything about the masked man, his despair momentarily forgotten. "YOU KILLED THEM. My friends... you killed them!"

"A mere lesson in love and loss, Robin. I'm surprised you even noticed they were gone. After all, you have seemed rather focused on me and only me these past couple of days." He seemed to smile a bit, like a panther anticipating the kill of a well-chased prey. "By the way, am I addressing Robin, or someone new? I've never seen a little boy quite like you."

Hatred blazed in his eyes. "Why? Why did you kill my friends? Tell me, and I promise I'll kill you slowly, so the pain lasts longer."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yes."

Slade laughed. "You never did forget my teaching, did you? As much as you hate to admit it, you're more like me with every passing day. I bet even now, you're on the edge of reason, standing on the line between good and evil. But you should know something before you decide just who's side you're on."

Robin snarled. "What?"

"Fate, Robin. Fate. It's what brought you to me in the first place, and it's what brought you here now."

Shrill laughter erupted from his mouth. "Are you serious? You're more insane than I thought!"

"Laugh now, but then ask yourself: why am I here? Why am I in front of a madman that I hate so much and never seem to catch?"

Robin chuckled a bit more, albeit weakly, before he stopped, serious. "I hate you."

"Is it possible that although you say you hate me, you're actually begging for the opportunity to stand at my side once again? Why Robin, that's devious, sly and condescending. You're beginning to see the bigger picture."

He hung his head. "What will it take to put you in the ground?"

"A lot more than you can give out."

"You killed my friends."

"And you had the choice to go to them, or come to me. Which did you choose?"

Suddenly, Robin sprang at Slade, a roundhouse kick already in motion with his bad foot. "DIE!"

But the villain was too fast for him, and he was too weak to block. Grabbing the boy's ankle, the madman caught the attack before it even came to him, then sent the kid awry with one mighty pull of his arm. He threw him to the side like a rag doll, then grabbed him by his jet black hair and kneeled next to him. "You shouldn't have come to me in such a pathetic state, boy. I could kill you with a twist of my wrist."

"Then do it," retorted the youth, his eyes half closed and blood gushing from his nose. "Kill me, Slade. Just kill me."

"No." He let the Boy Wonder go and stood up yet again, towering over his prey. "I won't kill you, instead, I'll give you something I know you've desired for awhile not. Do you want to know how I killed your friends, Robin? Do you want to know how I ended their lives, and broke you in two?" He didn't wait for an answer, just clicked a button on a remote clamped to his metal gauntlet; a few seconds later, holographic projectors did their work, displaying a scene Robin thought he'd never see.

There was Raven, looking deeply into her mirror with a grimace on her face, as if some inner turmoil was conflicting with her. A look of horror shone in her eyes, one that made Robin's heart break in two as he watched her scream, then slipped to the floor painfully with a cushioned bump.

"Raven was the hardest of the four, and the first to go. Her powers are strong, and she could have easily figured out my plans if she had stayed in contact with Jinx for too long. She could have also sensed Gizmo's mind from where he was, situated in Jinx's pocket. I couldn't have that. So I humbly... asked... Jinx to hex Raven's mirror."

"Jinx..." Robin didn't know whether to be disgusted or sympathetic.

"Yes. It's amazing what one can accomplish when they threaten another's life. That, and the lives of her colleagues. Mammoth can only take so much pain."

"You monster..." whispered the Boy Wonder breathlessly.

"And that is only the beginning. Take your friend Beast Boy for example."

The picture flickered for an instant before the image of his green, pointy eared friend came into view, and a few seconds ticked by before agonizing looks of pain spread across his face, his animal forms swiftly changing from one state to another. He closed his eyes when his friend's body began to disintegrate into an emerald goop, and Robin could feel tears falling from his eyes.

"Beast Boy's DNA is drastically unstable. It barely keeps itself together, so it wouldn't be hard to tear it apart. Slowly. One of my drones injected him with a few nano probes filled with a surprisingly strong DNA counteragent, strong enough to pick your friend apart with surprisingly fast ease. It was much the same with Cyborg." The screen flickered again, just in time to catch Cyborg on fire, his circuits popping and frying before Robin's eyes. "Only it was Gizmo who infected him with a nanoscopiccomputer virus, able to kill in one clean shot." Smiling at Robin's despair, he continued. "Of course, that was nothing compared to what happened with Starfire."

Horrified, Robin couldn't even protest before Starfire's huge green eyes filled with pain and anguish, her cries falling on deaf ears as crackling green energy spurted from every crevice of her body. Her hands shook in haphazard spasms, and her legs gave out from under her until she fell to the ground, still, and dead.

He cried out, and Slade reserved a bit of sympathy for the poor boy. "Her death was the worst of all, I think. I knew breaking Starfire would be the one thing that could break you, so her demise was brutal, and slow. You were wrong to tell her to 'handle' Plasmus, Robin. He would have come after her regardless. You see, by covering her head to toe in specially, chemically formatted slime that I had personally created, I knew the probes I placed in it would infect the Tamaranian through every slit, crack, and cut in her body. Then, with a push of the button, they could use her own powers against her, charging the starbolts she so willingly uses to an agonizingly powerful level, one that I knew she couldn't take for too long. Then slowly, little by little, she would succumb. And now, so will you." Triumphant, Slade practically grinned from behind his mask, and towered over the hero. "Do you think you've been seeing yourself as my apprentice because of a guilty conscience?"

"You... you did something to me..." He could barely spit out the words.

"Yes. It seems that when Trigon resurrected me back from the dead, I managed to find my way back to the old haunt. Once there, I noticed my mask, the one you collected from me, had been activated. It seemed that someone was naïve enough to think I was truly gone, and I couldn't allow that to happen. I always knew that if given the chance and the right encouragement, you could be waiting to capture me for years. In that time, I could harness your obsession, support it, hone it into something I could use, then bring you back to me in the blink of an eye. I would be able to train you for decades into the perfect apprentice before I even returned your rightful uniform to you. So I planned to stay one step ahead of you."

Robin gasped. "You made sure the dust would be triggered on automatic. Even if you were dead, I'd still be thinking you were alive, and still be after you."

"I only wanted the neural clone to keep you focused on me. I suppose I made it a little bit too overzealous."

"It almost killed me..."

"A test, and nothing more. I wanted to test your endurance, your mind and your body. Obviously, you passed. Congratulations."

The boy only sighed, exhausted, and collapsed on the roof. The pain in his broken limbs and ribs was making him numb, and even now, he was barely able to concentrate. "Then how...?"

"Are you seeing yourself as you truly should be? The dust wasn't just dust. Microscopic probes, much like the ones I infected your friends with the first time, were contained inside the powder in my mask. Except these were a bit more sophisticated. They were able to harmonize with the body's electromagnetic signature, and could very well be dormant for centuries. They infused themselves into your brain stem, and made you see, hear, and feel whatever I wanted."

"You made me see myself as your apprentice."

"Correct. I wanted you to see your rightful self."

"So my question is... what now?"

Slade, puzzled, tilted his head to the side. "Robin, why do you ask a question to which you already know the answer to?"

Then, it dawned on him, and he sighed, defeated. "You want me. You want your apprentice back."

Nodding, the madman answered. "Yes. I want you, Robin. You were the perfect apprentice, and I would hate to lose such a valuable successor."

Robin nodded. "I figured as much." He felt like a dead man walking when he drug himself to his feet, the fight leaving him in an instant. Wretchedly, his blue eyes met Slade's, and he knew what he had to do. "You killed my friends, Batman isn't going to come save my ass, and you've driven me insane. I don't know who to turn to now, or who to trust. There's nothing left for me." A sudden, bitter laughter escaped his lips. "I don't know who I am anymore, thanks to you, and I have no future. "

"Then let me give you one, Robin." He came over and started checking Robin's wounds, inspecting him with scrutiny before he continued. "Let me give you a future, Robin. I can give you the world on a silver platter. Nothing could be out of reach. You can have anything you ever wanted if you join me at my side."

"I never take the easy way out," he stated, faltering with the words. "I've never taken the easy route over the harder one. Robin would never take the easy way out." Tears choked him. "But I don't know who I am anymore, or what I've become. I'm too tired to fight anymore."

"Let me give you a future."

"That would be nice."

Condemned. He was a condemned man, and Robin knew it in his head and his heart. And he couldn't see any other way out of it. He'd be Slade's apprentice; there was nothing left for him as Robin anymore.

From here on out, Robin would be no more.

* * *

A child slept in the twilight of Jump City, safe, secure, and comfortable in their home. She knew that the Teen Titans would always be there to save the day, no matter what happened, or who they were facing. But on this night, a cold shadow crept up her back, and she shivered, as if she knew of the coming danger.

* * *

At the Titans Tower, another figure lay upon a medical table, silent as the grave, before once lifeless arms trembled in fear. Color returned to her ashen cheeks, and her her eyes slowly opened, unaware of the damage that had been done. Painstakingly, her brain began to clear, and instantly, she knew the plight of her friend.

And Raven screamed in horror.


	11. PREVIEW: A Hero's Redemption

**Here's a preview of the sequel to** _SINKING INTO SLADE_**, entitled:** _A HERO'S REDEMPTION_**.

* * *

**

The day was cold and dark, a severe contrast to the usual comings and goings of Jump City, and a lone girl shivered in an alleyway, her long black hair trembling ever so slightly against the wind. The streets were bare of people, glass from sidewalk shops strewn every which way, and there wasn't a street corner without the now routine, black and metal clad foot soldier of the one called Slade, their stony glare expecting nothing, and receiving no trouble at all. The wind howled a wolf's call between the passageways between buildings, and called to the people who once lived here. Where had they gone? Where did they go? But no one seemed to be around to answer.

It made her shiver in uneasy anticipation, like an accident waiting to happen.

She could use her powers if she wanted to, scout around in the skies above, but she had heard from a neighboring town that the second in command to Slade would come to expect weird things. She was definitely weird, so she figured she'd better stay out of sight. Even amongst the garbage and the refuse, she felt weird, awkward, standing out more than she should, but she couldn't take the chance of being seen.

Watching a pair of drones pass her alley, she kept wondering about the Teen Titans. Where had they gone? Where was Raven, the half-demon witch? Starfire, the alien? Beast Boy the shape shifter, or Cyborg the half man, half machine? Where were the Titans?

She had asked such a question to the folks she hitchhiked with in the other city, but they couldn't answer her. When she mentioned the fifth Titan, they glared, and avoided the question. Why? Who was the fifth Titan? She wanted to know. Maybe they would help.

Then again, maybe not; the city looked like it needed more than just one more Titan.

She rubbed her bare arms, trying to warm them, and cursed the day she decided on a red, no sleeve top. It was her favorite, embroidered with white stars along the left side, with scarlet hip huggers to match, but for today, she should've went with something warmer. If the cold of the day didn't get her, the Slade drones would.

A piece of paper was clutched in her hand, and she stopped rubbing, looked down on it and read the first few lines of an address scrawled on it, even though she knew it by heart by now. It was the address to Titan Tower, the central point of superhero power in this city, and she needed to head there straight away. It looked like the city needed heroes, and plus, she needed a place to stay. After being kicked out of everywhere she went, she was desperate to belong somewhere, especially around people who had abilities like hers.

At least they wouldn't kick her out, just because she was different. They'd surely accept her for who she was...

The girl sighed, then focused on her task, determined. "Time to find the Titans," she said, and started on her way. It would take her a couple hours to get to her destination, but that didn't matter: just as long as she got there.


End file.
